


Queen of the skies

by Noctiilio



Category: BanG Dream! (Anime), BanG Dream! Girl's Band Party! (Video Game)
Genre: "boohoo theyre dead" "oh THEYRE ALIVE AGAIN" so dont worry for them really, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Dragons, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Dragon Hina, Dragon Sayo, Dragon Slayer Tomoe, Elven Witch Rinko, Everybody lives in the main cast, F/F, Fairy Aya, Fake Character Death, Necromancy, Tavern Girl/NPC Tsugumi, a bit of fighting and bits of blood perhaps, angel! yukina, angel!lisa, background character death mention, bear faun misaki, demon! ako, mercenary! himari, mercenary! moca, mercenary! ran, minstrels harohapi, parental figure death, rated T for the fighting and for the darker bits of lore, will add more characters as they appear - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-22
Updated: 2020-04-25
Packaged: 2020-05-16 11:42:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 21,796
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19317475
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Noctiilio/pseuds/Noctiilio
Summary: Tsugumi, a humble tavern girl from the human village, gets lost on a delivery. She takes refuge in a cave, which she soon found out was the lair of the mighty Hikawa dragons... One of the two dragons, Sayo, grows fond of the little, powerless human, and attempts to re-learn a skill she has always been lacking : human shapeshifting. Will this newfound love story bring their two conflicting worlds together, at last?





	1. Storm

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so due to popular request on my twitter character designs of the dragon hikawa sisters I made this into a fic. Keep in mind that i'm not primarily a writer, I'm mostly a digital artist and ive only gotten into writing very, very recently so hhhhh  
> Character references are here ! https://twitter.com/Noctiilio/status/1253106116558557186

The woods at the beginning of dusk were a sight Tsugumi was always very fond of. The disappearing sun casting rays through the leaves, the birds singing, animals starting to come out, it was truly enchanting. Of course, she must not forget about her delivery, but the sight is so dreamy, she could just lie down in the grass and cloudgaze until the sun was gone...  
"No. I must be back at the tavern before night." she tells herself, as she keeps walking straight down the path.  
She was just a human in a world much too big for her, so of course, she finds the small things, the ordinary joys to be the prettiest things she has seen. She had a simple life, devoid of daring adventures or thrilling tales to tell, and she was happy with the life she was living. People would call this lifestyle boring or uninteresting, but for her, that was the right way.

She picked up the pace a little, as the pastries she was ordered to deliver down in the Pastel Palette Citadel were going to go stale if she didn't hurry. It was quite the walk, so there was no time for getting lost in thought. The forest animals were dragged out of their hideout by the scent of the homebaked food she was carrying with her. Oh that was fine, a bunch of deers and bunnies couldn't hurt... as long as it's not something bigger, like a wolf, a bear, or even...

Suddenly, a flash of lightning crashed above her head. Oh no, if a storm was to break out, she must protect herself and the goods. Tsugumi changed her directions, and headed straight into the forest. She had her arms wrapped around her basket, trying desperately to protect the order. She was so focused on sheltering the food from the rain and looking for a place to stay that she had not noticed how far she had just strayed from her original path...

Tsugumi frantically looked around the woods for a place to take shelter in, and that's when it hit her : she was far deeper into the forest than she thought. Not only did she realize that she got lost, but the trees looked... different. As if they were alive, sentient... enchanted. As if they were watching her, judging her.  
The panicked tavern girl ran faster to look for a place to protect herself from the rain, away from these strange trees, which she was too scared of to examine from up close.  
She didn't sign up for any of this. Who would've known a simple delivery to the citadel would have turned into such a nightmare ?

She climbed up a narrow mountain path. She could've sworn she saw a cave up there, it's far enough from the scary trees too, so she could protect herself from both the storm and the horrifying, crooked trees... In the corner of her eye she briefly saw a large shadow playing with lightning, but she decided to ignore it. "Must be my imagination", Tsugumi mutters, trying to comfort her own terrified self.

Tsugumi, after harsh mountain climbing, finally got into the cave. She was soaked, naturally, but at least her delivery was safe. It was just awfully cold. Oh, maybe she should start a fire, both so she could dry herself, and keep the food warm. She began gathering sticks around the cave. She know very well that she was completely unable to start a fire, but she was determined to deliver this order to the citadel.  
She rubbed the sticks against each other for what seemed to be an eternity, to no avail. Ah, if only Tomoe was there... She would've known. She's an adventurer from head to toe, she would definitely be able to start a fire in a matter of seconds. Tsugumi, desperate and afraid, started sobbing. Would she make it back to Afterglow Valley in a single piece ?

Suddenly, a hot breeze, almost scorching, came from inside of the cave. Was there... any source of heat coming from inside the cave ? Perhaps an undiscovered hot spring ? ... No. It wasn't that. It almost felt like... breathing. Especially now with the loud growling echoing from deep inside the tunnel... Tsugumi curled into a ball, trying to blend with the rocks, expecting the worst.  
Loud footsteps were heard. They were coming closer, closer... closer... until a pair of green glowing eyes could be seen in the dark... They were staring at the powerless human. The large, bulky shadow spread a set of gigantic wings, displaying a glowing runic pattern on the tip of the membrane.

There was no doubt. Tsugumi had just entered a dragon lair.

The dragon, outraged, let out a deep, earth-shattering roar before charging. Tsugumi now looked like a mouse, running around aimlessly to avoid the massive green beast's talons and jaw, narrowly evading a green fireball shot in her direction. That dragon was out for blood and she knew she wouldn't last long. Tsugumi begged for mercy at the top of her lungs as she kept running like a prey whose fate had already been sealed. The monster did not care and kept fighting.

Tsugumi's aimless panic was put to an end by a gigantic claw pinning her to the walls of the cave. The dragon came closer and roared directly into the poor tavern girl's face. Light was coming out of the beast's throat : this was the end.  
Suddenly, a higher pitched, almost howl-like roar came from outside the cave. Another dragon, less bulky and less spiky, landed into the cave and began chirping at the other in what appeared to be arguing. What was that about ? Were they arguing on who was going to kill her ? Are they going to come up with painful ways to put an end to her worthless life ? Would she even have a chance to survive ?

The larger, darker dragon lowered the grip on Tsugumi. Still not enough for her to escape, but at least she wasn't squeezed between scales and stone.  
The new dragon wrapped itself in a cloud of glittery smoke. When it disappeared, a young girl with short green hair, plate armor, a huge, refined yet mangled cloak, and massive wings came out.

"Sorry about that !" she spoke. "My sister has... this thing against humans. Excuse us for the not-so-boppin' welcome."  
The other dragon, still holding Tsugumi, growled in the direction of her sister, to which she responded.  
"Yeah yeah I was going to ask her ! Uh, my sister wants to know if you've got any weapons with you."  
Oh. So THAT was what it was about... Did the large dragon assume Tsugumi was a dragon slayer of some sort ?  
"N-No! No I swear, I'm nothing but a humble tavern girl..."  
The large dragon didn't take any of it for granted, and roared. Her sister tried to calm her down.  
"W-What did she say..." Tsugumi asked, on the verge of tears.  
"She doesn't believe you... She says only a dragon slayer could find the hidden entrance of our lair in a single piece..." The humanoid dragon sighed, tiny lightning bolts coming out of her mouth. "She wants to turn you into ashes, I'm sorry."  
"WAIT ! WAIT ! That was an accident ! I've got a little basket with food inside as proof ! Please I beg you to believe me !" the tavern girl was now crying her eyes out, to which the large creature didn't give any attention.

The shapeshifted dragon grabbed the basket, took the pastries out, and took a huge sniff out of them. The large dragon hissed at her sister.  
"Aw come on Sayo ! It's not poisoned ! Here, wanna smell to make sure ?"  
The winged girl applied the pastry directly onto Sayo's snout, which didn't please the beast whatsoever. She groaned in defeat.  
"See, I told you ! Here, lemme take a bite of that funky stuff."  
Tsugumi almost wanted to stop her from eating the order, but they were dragons... Perhaps giving the reptiles an offering was the key to her freedom.  
"Hey ! That's really good ! Sayo, you should give it a try !" the energetic shapeshifter tossed the piece she saved for her sister, which crashed into the ground. The monster didn't even bother picking it up, giving the thrower a death glare.  
"Aw, well alright that's fair if you don't want it. Hey could you at least release the human now ?" said the lightning dragon.  
Sayo whined, rolled her eyes, and put her claws away from Tsugumi. The human was too shocked to react immediately, as the transformed creature gave her a friendly handshake immediately after.

"Nice to meet you ! I'm Hina, and this is my twin sister Sayo ! Welcome to the Hikawa lair !"  
Tsugumi felt anything but welcome, especially with Sayo glaring at her soul, but alright... Now that her package had been eaten by dragons, there was nothing to deliver anyway:  
-A-Alright then I'll just be uh... heading home, then.  
-What ? You can't go now ! You really don't wanna mess with the Roselia woods' spirits when night falls ! Here, you'll stay in our lair tonight, right Sayo ?  
Sayo growled, obviously not happy with the human staying over.  
"Come on sis ! It's just gonna be one night ! And I'll translate for you if you wanna speak to her !"  
The dragon walked back into the tunnel, frustrated, completely disappearing out of sight. All Tsugumi could hear was Sayo howling from the dephts of the cave, perhaps this was dragon profanity.

Hina gave Tsugumi an energetic pat on her shoulder.  
"Don't worry friend, she'll warm up to you. She really dislikes humans, but... for some reason I think she went easy on you."  
Easy ?! That attempt at killing her on the spot was just her going easy on her ?! Oh goodness gracious this somehow made it even scarier.  
"I think... Yeah I think she's frustrated because she can't shapeshift. But hey, I'll be there to translate for you."  
Oh, so that was why Sayo didn't turn human... Did anything cause that ? Was this linked with Sayo and Hina's different elements as dragons ? Did something happen ? She had so many questions, but knew very well that she wouldn't get any answers from the twin dragons. Except maybe the lightning one, she apparently liked infodumping to strangers for some reason.

"C'mon, you must be soaked. Let's get into the deep parts of the lair, I think you'll like it."  
Hina grabbed Tsugumi's hand. It was rough, and still had a few scales here and there, as well as claws on every finger. The dragon ran towards the dark tunnels of the cave where Tsugumi would spend the night.  
"Sayo ! We're coming in !"


	2. Harmony

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the night falls, the enchanted Roselia woods are too dangerous for Tsugumi to go through. The dragons want Tsugumi to spend the night in their lair. Maybe this time, a bond between the reclusive Sayo and the intrigued Tsugumi can form itself...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> based on this character design thread I made on twitter : https://twitter.com/Noctiilio/status/1253106116558557186

Hina's speed kept increasing with her excitement. She dragged the confused Tsugumi behind her like a ragdoll, obviously very happy over having a guest in their lonely lair.  
The dark tunnel felt like it lasted forever. It seemed like they were running, but not going forward by a bit... until a faint green light, as well as the sound of large wings flapping.

The two girls arrived in what was a huge hidden lake, surrounded by gorgeous glowing crystals harmonizing with each other, and with the dragons' runic patterns. Some of them grew out of the stone itself, but larger ones were simply floating, levitating on their own. It was as if the stones were recharging the twins' magic and health.  
Sayo was gliding gracefully in circles over the bioluminescent lake. This was a very peaceful image Tsugumi would never have thought she'd have the chance to see with her own mortal eyes.

The serene harmony of the humming crystals was interrupted by Hina.  
"This is our sanctuary. Back then, we were hundreds. Now, it's just the two of us. More room for me and my sis, if you will."  
That last bit of a sentence brought a sinister feeling to the human guest. Hesitant, she muttered :  
\- ...W-what happened to the others ?  
\- Dragon slayers, of course.  
And that was exactly the answer Tsugumi was afraid Hina would give. She understood Sayo's attitude towards humans a little better, if another kind suddenly started killing all her friends, Tsugumi would probably have gotten very defensive as well. What impressed her, however, is how unaffected by grief Hina seemed to be, always smiling, giggling... As if she didn't understand what this bloody slaughter means for her kind. Or... rather as if she chose not to understand.

"So what, you're not gonna dive into the lake, huh ?"  
Suddenly, Hina pushed Tsugumi over the cliff. This was at least a 100 feet fall between her current location and the sacred water, and she had no idea if it was deep or shallow. Once again, terrified, Tsugumi begged for her life. Hina transformed, and took a dive below Tsugumi, catching the human on her back for a bit of a flight.  
She wasn't very considerate of how fragile the human was. She tossed her, caught her midair, performed very dangerous loops, this really, really was only a fun experience for the dragon, definitely not for the guest on her back.  
Tsugumi kept screaming at the top of her lungs as the carefree dragon kept doing her thing...

...Until Hina accidentally dropped the human, failing to catch her.

Tsugumi was now much too far and falling way too fast for Hina to catch her. The lightning dragon was just hovering still, watching the small human falling into the lake.  
Suddenly, her fall stopped.

Was it Hina ? No. It wasn't as soft, it was... warmer, pointier...  
It took her a bit to realize that she had landed on Sayo's back.

The large dragon's flying style was very different, much safer. She took Tsugumi into consideration. Her wings were almost never flapping, keeping a cruise-like pace to her gliding over the lake.  
She got closer to the crystals, allowing the tavern girl to look at them from up close, to listen to their magical humming. She took a very progressive dive towards the glowing lake, the tip of her claws touching the surface of the water lightly. This place was Holy, and so were its inhabitants. Tsugumi knew that.  
Hina was now following them, winking at her sister, who wouldn't even look back at her sister or at the human on her back. Was this... Hina's plan all along ? Did she purposely drop her to get Sayo to come closer ? Did Sayo know ? In any case, the fire dragon looked deeply embarrassed.

The two dragons landed on the verge of the lake. Sayo lowered herself to ground level to let the human climb down her wing, as Hina transformed herself into her humanoid form again before running straight into the water.  
-C'mon you two ! The water's great !  
-I-I think I've had it with the water for now, thank you...  
Hina shrugged, before transforming again for better mobility.

It was just now that Tsugumi had realized she was left alone with Sayo.  
She slowly turned towards the great dragon, who was, of course, staring at her. It was really scary, especially not being able to communicate. With Hina unavailable as a middle ground, disaster could happen.  
The tavern girl tried not to show she was afraid, but with her whole body shaking from every single cell, it was hard not to notice. Perhaps expressing her gratitude towards Sayo would help lower the tense feeling between them ?  
"Th-Thank you, Sayo-San, for allowing me to fly with you... I-It was really nice..."  
The dragon emitted a deep growl and moved her sharply taloned hand away from the ground. Tsugumi thought she would try to slice her open and curled into a ball, but instead, Sayo began using her claws to write in the crystalline sand they were both sitting on.  
Y.O.U. A.R.E W.E.L.C.O.M.E.

... There it was. An attempt to communicate despite Sayo's incapacity to shapeshift. This made Tsugumi smile.  
Sayo slowly wrote in the sand again.  
N.A.M.E ?

That's right... Tsugumi never had the chance to introduce herself in all that panic.  
"Oh ! I'm Tsugumi ! Tsugumi Hazawa ! Nice to meet you !" she said, bowing with all due respect to the dragon.  
Sayo raised her stance, nodding in approval to the unusual guest. She was so noble, she almost looked like royalty... no... something divine.  
She wrote something in the sand again before taking off to the skies again. Tsugumi had to get up to read this one, it was written more hastily than the two previous :  
E.N.J.O.Y Y.O.U.R. S.T.A.Y  
... Was this Sayo's way to finally approve of Tsugumi's presence ? The dragon was flying in circles above the small human, her rune patterns pulsating in unison with the crystals around her...  
Tsugumi smiled. "Thank you, Sayo."

When night came, Tsugumi had to find herself a comfortable rock to sleep on in the sanctuary. The dragons were sleeping on their riches, on a higher platform of the area. They definitely wouldn't have wanted a human near their treasure, Tsugumi wouldn't dare coming so close to the gold and jewels making up their hoard. She knows better than to do that.  
She ended up finding a flat rock near the lake. It wasn't too uncomfortable, but oh dear was the cave cold at night. She would fall asleep, only to wake up no more than a couple minutes later, half conscious, teeth chattering, desperately trying to get warmer.

It lasted hours. Tsugumi couldn't get herself to sleep in this stone cold place... until all of a sudden, it stopped.

It felt warm. Like someone had just placed a fireplace next to her rock. Not only that, but she could feel a heart beating very, very slowly next to her.  
She opened her eyes to see what had suddenly stopped the freezing temperature, only to find Sayo, curled up next to her, a wing wrapped around the rock like an organic tent.  
Speechless, Tsugumi did not expect such a gesture from the previously hostile dragon. This almost made her want to attempt something...  
The guest reached her hand out to gently caress the wing membrane of the dragon. Sayo tried not to show any emotion, but the purr-like noise she started making right after Tsugumi made contact with her was more than obvious.

Sayo did not sleep that night. She watched the human sail away to the world of her dreams. Why had she gotten so attached to this small, unsignificant creature in such a short amount of time ?  
She wanted to get to know her better. To communicate easily. But without her shapeshifting skill, that would be very, very difficult.

... Unless she could, in fact, shapeshift.  
And she knew the right person to ask.

Sayo carefully removed her wing from around Tsugumi, in such a delicate way that the human guest wouldn't wake up. She took off, as quietly as a dragon her size can, in hopes that neither Hina or Tsugumi would see her leave the lair at such an unholy hour.  
Once she was out of the lair, Sayo took a silent glide over the Roselia woods, trying not to get the attention of the trickster spirits inhabiting the trees. It was beautiful. The leaves were covered in blue pixie dust, the blue rose bushes were sparkling in the moonlight... it's a shame it wasn't so safe to wander in these parts at night... Manticores, Faunuses, Unicorns, Pegasi, Fairies... this forest had it all.  
But what Sayo was after that night was a night elf.

She landed in an enchanted glade, covered in giant mushrooms. Sitting under a thousand year old tree, an old cottage which appeared to be in ruins at first glance.  
Sayo knocked on the door with the tip of her claw. A witch opened the door. She had long pointy ears, magic artifacts in each one of her many, many pockets and purses, and dark silky hair reaching her hips.  
-Ah, Sayo-san... What an usual sight...  
-Shirokane-san. We meet again.  
The elven witch's great magic was fascinating. She was able to do anything : cure wounds, repel dark spirits, cast elemental spells, and even speak to dragons through telepathy.

The dragon spread her wings as a stance of power.  
"You owe me an old debt. And perhaps I have a favor to ask from you..."


	3. Metamorphosis

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the help from the elven witch of the woods, Rinko, Sayo finds a substitute to her lack of a shapeshifting skill.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Based off the character design thread I made on twitter : https://twitter.com/Noctiilio/status/1253106116558557186

The witch and the dragon had not seen each other in quite a long time. Sayo's display of power never failed to intimidate Rinko, and this new encounter was no exception. The last time they had seen each other wasn't in the greatest conditions, which added to the weight of the tension between the two.

"I didn't expect to see you again, Sayo-san...  
... especially not after the Night of the Ritual."  
The dragon, to these words, growled.  
\- Shirokane-san. Let's not speak of this incident again.  
\- My apologies...  
Silence again. Heavy, tense silence.

"A-Alright, what can I do for you ?"  
Sayo, still trying to remain as intimidating as a dragon possibly can, just realized how hard it would be to tell Rinko about the current situation. Would it impact her reputation in these woods ? How would the other residents of the enchanted forest react if they found out the great Sayo had a human in her lair ? Would Tsugumi be in danger if the spirits heard ?  
The slight bit of panic in Sayo's eyes didn't remain unnoticed by the wise witch.  
_ ... Sayo-san ? Is something wrong ?  
\- Shirokane-san. What I'm going to tell you must remain a secret between the two of us.  
\- ... With all due respect, this is not going to be the first deep secret we'll have...

Sayo folded her wings and lowered her head to Rinko's level.  
"... I would like you to help me shapeshift again."  
Rinko didn't say a word, but the look in her eyes let the dragon notice the bewilderment of the witch to these words. Sayo felt obligated to explain the context to her old ally.  
\- There's... a human in my lair. I'd like to communicate with her.  
\- ... Sayo-san, I don't understand... You've always despised hum-  
\- She's a tavern girl. She's harmless.  
Rinko couldn't help but smile. Seeing this unstoppable dragon getting fond of an ordinary human was a proof that Sayo had gotten softer over the years.  
"I think I might have something for you." hummed the witch before she went back inside. Sayo couldn't follow her through the small entrance, but she could hear the noise of the potion flasks Rinko was browsing through.

She came back with a single flask. The beverage was transparent with a green tint to it.  
"Could you perhaps drink this, Sayo-san ? If it doesn't work, I'm here to cancel the effects... So I would rather have you trying the potion here..."  
The witch handed the potion to the dragon. It was funny how small the flask looked compared to the massive, noble beast of the winds. It only took Sayo a single sip to drink the whole potion.  
A few seconds later, the same glittery cloud shrouding Hina during her transformation wrapped Sayo. When it disappeared, Sayo had finally changed into a human form.

She was gorgeous, and Rinko took a moment to admire the beauty of the elegant lady in front of her. Sayo, bewildered, quickly understood why Hina loved transforming back and forth so often... this was so different, so comfortable... It felt like she had found the balance she had always been missing in her true form.  
\- T-This will allow you to change freely between your two forms as long as the potion stays active...  
\- Shirokane-san. How long does a flask last ?  
\- Around ten hours, I believe...  
\- ... I'll take all of them.  
Rinko stopped for a second. This was very, very unusual from Sayo.  
\- B-But Sayo-San ! These are extremely hard to produce...  
\- ... So is what you took from me.  
The two girls got into yet another tense silence. The witch had to admit it, Sayo had a point.  
"O-Okay let me get the rest..."

The witch returned with a crate full of these. Sayo tried not to show, but she was bursting with excitement.  
"I think we are even, now, Shirokane-san."  
The dragon transformed back into her full form to carry the crate in her claws, and took off without a single word.  
Rinko watched the elegant queen of the skies take off into the moonlight. Yes, they were even, now... She took a minute to pray.  
"Please, may these humble potions help the goddess of Fire and Wind find happiness."

Sayo, upon returning in her lair, put the crate of potions next to her own pile of riches, and immediately returned where she left Tsugumi to sleep.

At daybreak, the tavern girl was woken up by Hina screaming and cheering. When she got up and opened her eyes, she found the lightning dragon dancing around her sister.... both in human form.  
Tsugumi ran to Sayo, not entirely sure what had happened overnight. Sayo gave Tsugumi a respectful bow of approval, delicately holding one of her hands.

"Good morning, Hazawa-san."


	4. Freedom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sayo has just returned from Rinko's cottage with a handful of transformation potions. Now able to shapeshift using these, the dragon will attempt to connect with Tsugumi...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> based on this character design thread I made on twitter : https://twitter.com/Noctiilio/status/1253106116558557186

Hina was having a little celebration of her own in the sanctuary. She was delighted, her sister was now able to experience the fun of being smaller and closer to other, more humanoid creatures of the realm. Sayo didn't perticularly care about being able to speak to faeries, ghosts or wisps of any sort, if she were to be honest. Or any human other than the sparkly-eyed tavern girl, looking at her like she had just been starstruck.

\- W-When did this happen ? Did you practice overnight ?  
\- ... My apologies for leaving you behind. Let's say I have... magical allies in these woods.  
Hina bursted into the conversation, as inquisitive and curious as their guest.  
\- Soooo... you can't permanently transform, can you ?  
\- ... Unfortunately not, Hina.  
\- Aw, how unboppin'. And I thought I could dance around for eternity with you in this form...  
\- I have at least a year worth of these potions, Hina. If a certain someone doesn't start giving them away to the fauna of the woods for fun, I will be able to transform for a while.  
Hina felt very attacked by this statement. Especially since, well, she was, in fact, going to grab some of those flasks to see what a human form unicorn looks like. Defeated, the lightning dragon transformed back into her true form and took off to the ceiling of the sanctuary.

It was just Sayo and Tsugumi now. And neither of them really knew what to say. The guest was still peering the dragon's new form from head to toe, which added to Sayo's awkwardness and uneasiness. Looking like a human was good, yes, but how do they communicate with each other ?  
\- Sayo-san, are you alright ?  
\- Y-Yes. I am just having a little bit of trouble adapting to this new appearance...  
Sayo was blushing. Something she definitely wasn't used to. It was a lot harder to hide your thoughts and emotions without scales.  
"Oh, is that all it is ?" Tsugumi hummed, eyes still glimmering brighter than any rare stone in Sayo's hoard. "Then I will teach you ! I'll get you used to this form !"  
Sayo was touched by this offer. She expected the human to laugh at how weak and vulnerable this new appearance, and her lack of control over it, had turned her. Tsugumi's kindness truly was a treasure, she thought to herself.  
"... I appreciate the offer. Why don't we go on a walk in the Roselia Woods, then ? It is safe during the day."  
Tsugumi got so excited she almost looked like she had springs on her feet. If you would have told her past self no longer than yesterday that she would visit a magical forest with a gorgeous dragon, she wouldn't have believed any of it.

The two girls climbed down the mountain, and got deep into the lush forest. Bioluminescent vines, bushes of blue roses under every firefly-inhabited tree, bunnies sporting antlers, unicorns instead of deers, Tsugumi could not believe her eyes. All the timeless legends she had heard in her tender youth, all the old folklore told from generation to generation, all the daring adventures Tomoe spoke of, all of this was very real, and very alive within reach of Tsugumi.  
Everywhere she looked, it was magical. But despite all that, the most magical sight of all was without a doubt the dragon holding her hand.

Sayo had a bit of trouble walking around on two legs, it was kind of cute. Tsugumi helped her get back up whenever she would trip over herself. Never with a single bit of judgement or mockery in her eye. Even if the dragon was awfully vulnerable, the gentle human never took advantage of Sayo's sudden lack of power. It was a double sided trust, a one of a kind bond you only see once every ten millennias.

The lady of the winds got more and more used to her new appearance. The girls would stop, here and there, to look at magical creatures, pretty flowers, to tell each other tales and history of their own kinds... They would teach each other customs of friendship of their own lifestyle, to the other's surprise and curiosity. This was perfect balance between the two. They were one foot into their own world, and the other in each other's. They truly were face to face on every level, it felt like time had stopped.

At the middle of the day, Tsugumi got very drowsy after all this walking around, and asked Sayo to rest by an old tree. An enchanted weeping willow, covered in moss and tangled in vines. The scenery was too beautiful for Sayo to refuse.  
\- ... Hazawa-san ?  
\- Mmm-hm ?  
\- Are you enjoying our walk through the forest ?  
\- Mmmmyea...  
\- Good. Is that a human thing ? To walk into woods without a reason ?  
\- Uh-huh...  
\- ... ... Hazawa-san, you sound exhausted. Was this walk too much for a human ?  
Tsugumi did not respond, she had already passed out, leaning towards Sayo's shoulder in her sleep. A shiver went down the nervous dragon's face. The bright red tint of her face was a perfect contrast with the natural color of her scales and horns...  
This was too cute, Sayo thought to herself. She leaned back against Tsugumi, one eye open to ensure the safety of the human. If this what human life had to offer, then to hell with lonely draconic existence...

Tsugumi was woken up merely a couple hours later. The sun was following its course, and was getting ready to disappear behind the mountains.  
\- Hazawa-San. I am going to fly you home.  
\- Really ? Isn't there still time to explore a bit ?  
\- My potion's effects will expire soon. Besides, the woods get dangerous as soon as the sun starts setting.  
Tsugumi didn't had enough time to reply, Sayo was already holding tight onto her waist to lift her into the skies.

Even in her human form, Sayo was still an incredibly fast flyer. Maybe the pressure of her potion expiring soon was also responsible for her increasing speed, but it was still surprising.  
The dragon landed at the entrance of the ordinary forest Tsugumi had gotten lost in the day before. Now that she had seen the magic of Sayo's world, returning to such a bland forest without an ounce of magic was a huge letdown for Tsugumi.  
\- I cannot go further. I am not welcome in human villages.  
\- ... We'll meet again, won't we ?  
\- I can't be sure.  
Tsugumi felt like her world was falling apart over not being certain to see the dragon again.  
"Do not cry. Even if it's impossible for me to walk in your village unnoticed, I will ensure your safety if I sense your presence in the woods again."

But what if... there was a way for Sayo's horns, wings and tail to blend into the crowd ?

\- Sayo-san ! Wait ! I think there is an occasion for you to come unnoticed !  
\- ... I don't think such a thing exists, Hazawa-san...  
\- We have a celebration : the Fire Festival. Everyone dresses up as dragons, they will assume that your wings are fake...  
This piqued Sayo's interest. She had no idea the village was, in fact, celebrating her kind while she wasn't looking.  
\- ...When is this... "Fire Festival" of yours ?  
\- In five days.  
\- Then in five days, I will wait for you here at the break of dawn. Until then, Hazawa-san, take good care of yourself.  
\- Wait !  
Tsugumi grabbed the dragon's hand. Before she could fully turn back to tell the human to let her go, she felt a delicate kiss on her cheek.  
Did... did she really...  
The dragon was too shocked to process what just happened, she just took off to the skies without a word, as Tsugumi was waving in her direction.  
It took Sayo a moment to realize what Tsugumi did before saying goodbye. The beast of the winds, who had turned back into her true form a short amount of time after crossing the border of the Roselia Woods, started flying in circles, quickly spinning like an aerial drill, diving into clouds... Her shadow was playing with the last sunrays of the day. The sight of the lovestruck divine beast was heavenly.

Bless Rinko for her potions. Bless the elves and the magic they can operate. And most importantly, bless the humans for bringing Tsugumi into existence.

Sayo had counted every day, every lap of the Earth around the Sun until the human village's Fire Festival. She arrived earlier than planned, and to her surprise, Tsugumi was already waiting.  
\- ... I thought I would be the first to arrive.  
\- Well... I was so excited I couldn't sleep...  
\- Hazawa-san, are you alright ?  
Tsugumi nodded, embracing the freshly transformed dragon. She still had that warmth emanating from her body... Hugging the beautiful dragon truly was bliss no mortal could ever have hoped for.  
"I missed you, Sayo."  
The dragon did not respond, she simply tightened the embrace around Tsugumi, and took her for a bit of a floaty spin.  
Excited, the tavern girl took Sayo's hand, running towards her beloved human village of Afterglow Valley.

-Come on, I want to show you the village !  
-Hazawa-san ?  
\- Y-Yes ?  
\- ...Will I ever get a chance to try one of those pastries of yours ?  
Tsugumi's smile got even wider.

It's a promise !


	5. Second Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After both Tsugumi and Sayo realized they had feelings for each other, Tsugumi invites her draconic crush over for the Fire Festival : an opportuniry for Sayo to blend in the crowd unnoticed. However, the dragon did not expect to meet the rest of Tsugumi's villager friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> based on this character design thread I made on twitter : https://twitter.com/Noctiilio/status/1253106116558557186

Human villages were surprisingly the opposite of what Sayo had pictured them to look like. She always envisioned dark places, streets full of armored guards, and an overall dreadful look on the inhabitant's faces. What she found was a crowd of jolly villagers, smiles all around, diverse smells of food coming from nearly every corner of every street, children laughing... Perhaps humans weren't so bad after all. They had a sense of celebration, that was for sure. Sayo was amused by the Fire Festival decorations, depicting very innacurate representations of her own kind. Did they ever see the forgotten gods they were celebrating from up close ?

Tsugumi waved at nearly everyone she met. The villagers gave Sayo a praise for her "fantastic costume". This was very confusing for the genuine dragon, but considering the downtown people's wings were made out of sticks and canvas membranes, she took the compliments, replying with an elegant gesture of approval.

The two girls made it to the Hazawa tavern. The sweet smell of the human food and fancy drinks was very new to Sayo. She surely looked like she enjoyed it, she looked like she had just entered Heaven.  
The tavern girl quickly stormed to the back room to get something for her unusual companion. When she returned, she gave the Lady of the Winds what looked like a really simple, crude-looking pastry.  
"Here, tell me what you think of this !"  
Sayo, after examining the food from every angle, took a bite out of Tsugumi's offering. It was godly. There was most definitely a dominant taste of honey, spice, and many never tasted before flavores mixed into this concentrate of warmth for the heart. This pastry felt like a caress from its cook. It was so good, Sayo almost forgot where she was standing...

... Until the bell on the entrance door rang three times.  
Sayo's smile vanished instantly, as she gained a firm stance of power, like she always does.

"Whoaaaa, nice costume !" said a grey haired girl in what was without a doubt the strangest approach to a dragon-themed outfit. Breadsticks for horns were laughably stupid, the goddess thought.  
"...Thank you." muttered the real dragon, still not used to being undercover.  
Tsugumi gave the three girls a hug, taking the hand of a dark haired woman wearing a cloak with fake fabric horns. Introductions were going to be made, and Sayo was nervous.  
\- My friends ! I'd like you to meet Sayo-san ! She's a friend from... uh... a different kingdom.  
\- The pleasure's all mine.  
Sayo respectfully reverenced the three humans, who were very intrigued by the noble-looking stranger.  
"Sayo-san, these are my childhood friends : Moca, Ran and Himari ! We grew up together."  
Ah, they were her friends, she thought. Well, if they were close to Tsugumi, there must be a good reason. She was so pure, there would be no way any of her friends would turn out bad.  
"Friends of Hazawa-san are friends of mine."  
The girl with the really unusual costume, who was presumably the one named Moca, was running in circles aroun Sayo, taking a closer look at her impressive display of wings, gently poking them to see them move. The one with the cloak and the handpainted red runes, most likely Ran, was trying to get her to stop this very inappropriate behavior.

"This is such an impressive outfit !" said the third human, dressed up in a cuter approach of a dragon costume, with heart patterns for scales, and ragdoll horns. "Did you make it all by yourself ?"  
Sayo didn't know what to respond. Yes, in a sense, it was her own set of wings, but...  
"Ahahah ! Yeaaaah she made it herself in her free time..." Oh thank goodness Tsugumi was there to keep the cover on. Moca spoke to Sayo again.  
\- May I touch it ?  
\- No, you may not.  
\- Aww...  
Ran took Moca by the hand, and once again, muttered not to act like this around strangers.  
"Oh, by the way, where's Tomoe ? Isn't she with you ?" asked Tsugumi.  
Himari's eyes instantly looked like stardust to these words :  
\- Not right now ! Our lovely Tomoe is preparing for her big part of tonight's show !  
\- Ooooh that's right ! She's always been chosen for the storytelling part !  
\- Yes indeed ! I can't wait to listen to the tale of her adventures around the fire ! It's HER festival, after all !  
Sayo was intrigued. Why would a human adventurer be at the center of a festival celebrating dragonkind ? What kind of adventures do humans get into, did it involve innacurate mythology regarding her ancestry ? She didn't know what to think of all of this, but she really was curious to say the least.

"This sounds interesting. I would like to listen to her tale."  
While the three humans looked excited about the statement, Tsugumi let out a very nervous laughter.  
\- Ahaha... I don't think so, Sayo-san...  
\- Why not ? I would like to find out what adventures your friend will talk about.  
Moca and Himari cheered :  
\- Yeah, Tsugu ! Why not ?!  
\- Everyone in this village loves Tomoe's stories !  
Tsugumi, for some reason, looked like her world was falling apart, she was a little blob of anxiety. Sayo gave her a pat on the shoulder.  
"Hazawa-san. Everything is going to be alright."  
The tavern girl did not respond, but she really, really looked like she was thinking otherwise.

The day went by smoothly. Sayo learned to trust the three humans accompanying them. She had several potion flasks with her to last the day, thankfully helping her undercover role to never get exposed. They played games, fought with wooden swords for fun, listened to Ran's songs about old folklore... said folklore was yet again very innacurate depictions of dragons, but it amused Sayo. It was really funny how both dragons and humans had the wrong idea about each other. Her view of humans was distorted, and so was theirs on Sayo's ancestors.  
However, with every passing minute, Tsugumi looked like she had less and less fun. Sayo felt bad about this. There must be a way to cheer the lovely tavern girl up.

Happy music was heard from the other side of the street. Sayo took Tsugumi by the hand and dashed towards the source of the sweet melody, hastily followed by a confused Ran, Himari and Moca. It took Sayo a lot of effort not to use her wings to get there faster.  
There was a band of bards playing on the plaza. There was five of them, and their songs were very happy sounding, they'd make anyone want to dance. To Sayo's own surprise, there was a faun among them. Human on the upper body, bear from the hips and below.  
\- Hazawa-san, who are they ?  
\- Oh, they're Hello, Happy World ! A nomad troop of bards. They travel from kingdom to kingdom to make its inhabitants smile.  
\- I see. Who is the beastfolk in the far back ?  
\- That's Misaki. Another shapeshifter.  
How nice. If they could accept a shapeshifter among their group, there surely was hope that one day, humans and dragons will stop warring against each other.  
This was the perfect occasion to make Tsugumi happy again. Engulfed with hope, Sayo grabbed Tsugumi by the hand and moved to the center of the plaza. All the people dancing stopped to look at the charismatic stranger making a very obvious move on the popular tavern girl.

The musicians of Hello Happy World noticed the enchanted aura emanating from the two dancers. One of them specifically, a masked lady with elegant, princely attire, picked up the pace of the song to suit the daring, romantic mood that had suddenly taken over the open area.  
Villagers were clapping in unison, cheering for the two dancers. Tsugumi's friends were watching in awe, in admiration. Moca took this as a perfect chance to drag Ran into the dance. Himari, who was alone for now, danced around the two couples, as the masked lady on the stage started throwing rose petals at them for a dramatic effect.  
When the music ended, Sayo realized how close Tsugumi was. Her smile was back where it belonged : on her face. Sayo was almost tempted to lean in for a passionate kiss, but... she could feel the eyes of the crowd, of the musicians, and most importantly, those of her lovely human's friends. This was not the right place to do such a thing, Sayo was not used to crowds of people staring at her like this.

Tsugumi's smile didn't stay long on her face, though, as the musicians left the stage at sunset, as an eerie sound of war drums echoed around the city. Choirs began chanting. Torches were lit up. The athmosphere was worthy of a primal, forgotten god like Sayo herself.  
"Sayo-San. We have to leave." desperately muttered Tsugumi.  
The shapeshifted Dragon did not listen to any of it. She was very intrigued by this storytelling ceremony around the torches, mistakenly thinking, maybe that was for her.  
"Sayo-san..."

Suddenly, the lady of the winds felt extremely uncomfortable. A horrible stench could be smelled from behind the stage. This almost made her throw up, and gave her an unspeakable anger, a thirst for undefined revenge, an urge to kill, this was the smell of... blood. The smell of death.  
A single woman in what looked like a very messy, yet somehow incredibly realistic costume appeared on stage. She could have easily been another shapeshifted dragon, based on her costume alone. She had war paint all over her body... No. This wasn't a costume. This looked organic and very real. Especially her helmet, shaped exactly like a baby dragon's skull.  
This couldn't be... Sayo refused to believe what she was seeing. This couldn't possibly be mutilated pieces of different dragons stitched together.

"Tomoeeeee !!!" Cheered Himari from the crowd.  
So this was the Tomoe everyone seems to talk about, the star of the festival... Sayo was still curious, but it took her a massive effort not to pass out from where she was standing.  
"Thank you, thank you, people of the valley !" The war drums echoed again. Tomoe took a step closer towards the edge of the stage. "On this sacred night of the Fire Festival, I will tell you about my quest in the Roselia woods !"  
As the crowd applauded, Sayo felt the worst kind of chill down her spine. Tsugumi tried to pull Sayo out of the crowd, but the dragon remained perfectly still.

The bloodstained woman spoke. "It was the break of dawn. I was sent on the tracks of a very specific monster, who is known to rule the skies and land in this area."  
Tsugumi was almost crying. She pulled, pushed Sayo, hoping she could get the dragon out of the crowd.  
"That's right, my friends ! I finally found a reliable track to the legendary Hikawa sanctuary !"

And that's where Tsugumi fell apart. It was too late. Sayo's rune patterns on her wings and tail began pulsating. Her heartbeat got faster. There was no doubt about it anymore. Tsugumi's best friend was a dragon slayer.

Tomoe continued the story. Sayo had a harder time containing her rage with every passing second.  
"I couldn't find the entrance, of course, if I did, my job would be done. No. I found a few of these demons out there in the woods. They hadn't seen me coming, so you know your friendly warrior had to get down with business there !" she laughed.  
Ran, Moca and Himari's attention was quickly drawn to Sayo.  
"Hey, are you okay ?" asked Ran, gently putting her head on the girl's shoulder.  
The lady of the winds did not respond. She was now too invested in what Tomoe was saying.  
"The beast I was hunting, sadly, did not show up. But if I could drag her out with bait, why not? One of them was this green elder dragon. It looked like an easy one, so I stalked it in the bushes until it would be at its most vulnerable. And then, BOOM ! I grabbed my daggers and ambushed it."  
Sayo thought she couldn't possibly feel any worse. She was wrong. She knew exactly which dragon Tomoe was talking about. No wonder her mother suddenly went missing... and never came back... Leaving Sayo in charge of her sister, neither of them being old enough to live on their own...  
"It fought back in retaliation, but an elderly dragon was no match for a perfectly trained gal like me ! I used my daggers, here, n' there, switched to my poisoned crossbow, didn't last long, really. It was barely a challenge!" Tomoe flexed her arms, to the cheering crowd.  
What kind of monster was she to brag about taking lives as a hobby ?! Why was she celebrating this ?!

"And the final blow was with my mace. CRACK! Skull split in half! I still didn't get a hold of the filthy fire worm's carcass I promised all of you I'd bring home, but I hope this will bring her out to me, one day! I am determined to bring the Eldest Daughter here!"  
Sayo wasn't that close to her mother, The lady of the Wind felt immense remorse for being so distant due to their views on humans. But Hina... Hina still thought she would return one day.  
The blood stained girl removed the curtains from the back of the stage. There it was. The skull of Sayo and Hina's mother, killed in cold blood for sport.  
"Sayo-san... I'm sorry..." Tsugumi was crying. Ran, Moca and Himari were very concerned about their new friend... and somehow unsettled by the pulsating runes.

"I hope you got who you were looking for, then, dragon slayer."  
"Hey, you there in the crowd, are you okay ?" asked the dragon slayer on the stage. Sayo's rage was now impossible to contain. A fireball escaped from the palm of her hand, directly aimed at Tomoe. The crowd gasped in shock, as Tomoe instinctivey rolled away from the attack.

"I hope you will die happy with your final punishment." growled Sayo, before giving up on her human form, revealing her true identity to everyone watching. Unfolding her wings to their widest range, she let out a roar of primal rage as the crowd scattered in panic.

Tomoe took a good look at Sayo before grabbing her dual daggers, her hands shaking.  
"It's you..."  
The dragon slayer slowly walked to Sayo, tears escaping from beneath the skull helmet.  
"It's you I was after all this time..."  
She looked like a true devil. But at the same time, she looked like she was in a severe emotional pain, the same Sayo felt for the loss of her mother.

"You took my sister... At last, I will spill your blood, right here, where you're standing."

Tomoe screamed with everything her vocal cords had, and charged towards Sayo. The beast of the winds sent the slayer flying to the walls with a flick of her tail. The crowd got closer and began to cheer for Tomoe. The war drums played for the girl with the skull helmet. Ran, Himari and Moca watched Sayo attempt to burn their childhood friend alive in horror, as Tsugumi yelled : "RUN, SAYO ! RUN !!"  
The dragon slayer, the tip of her dragon membrane cloak burned off, camouflaged in the smoke Sayo produced, successfully landing an axe on the dragon's side. Sayo screamed in pain, and slammed her body to the walls, in an attempt to squish Tomoe to death.

This wasn't the right time to fight. She was vulnerable, she was on her enemy's territory. Sayo spread her wings to a maximum span, gave a death glare to the sobbing tavern girl she made the mistake to trust, and took off into the night, leaving the village in a state of shock and bitter rage. Tomoe put her weapons back in their respective quivers and scabbards.

"Run while you still can, demon. You'll soon pay for what you did to Ako." 

Sayo, betrayed, wounded, returned to the lair and crashed into the sanctuary water. Hina immediately took a dive to her sister, trying to help her back up.  
"What happened ?! Sayo, are you okay ?"  
Sayo growled to her twin.  
"Do I look okay to you..."  
She was spilling blood everywhere. Hina desperately tried to apply some of the water into the wound.

"Hina. Tomorrow we're paying a little visit to the humans." Sayo yelped in pain as the healing water operated its magic on the wound.  
The lightning dragon felt a sinister feeling. For once, not even her laughter could cope with the truth that was about to come out.

"Tomorrow night, we will avenge our mother."


	6. Dark Arts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Hikawa twins found out who slaughtered the rest of their sanctuary. When sneaking into Tomoe's house to avenge their fallen mother, the two dragons find a darker truth after walking into the wrong bedroom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> based on this character design thread I made on twitter :https://twitter.com/Noctiilio/status/1253106116558557186

Tsugumi was devastated by what happened in the festival. Not only did she lose Sayo for good, but not even Ran, Moca, Himari or Tomoe would look at her in the eye anymore. She was alone. The comforting embrace of the dragon or those of her childhood friends had been lost in a single evening.  
Not a single customer would come into the tavern anymore. The village was very well aware that she dragged the Beast of the Winds into the village, the formerly beloved tavern girl was now rejected by all her previous regulars...  
... All except maybe one. As she heard the bell of the door opening, her hopes got up. Did Sayo return ? Was Ran coming by to cheer her up ? No... neither of the people she thought of. It was the girl of the Pastel Palette Citadel, who probably came all the way from home to ask about her lost delivery.

"Excuse me ! I ordered a cake back in the day, and it never arrived..."  
Tsugumi didn't know what to say. Dragons were on her mind all the time, she forgot to send a letter to the citadel with a refund. Now she felt bad, the pink haired girl had walked for what must have been hours in the woods.  
\- I-I'm sorry... You must be... Aya Maruyama-san, right... ?  
\- That's me !  
\- Your package got lost in the woods, I can offer you a refund. It's entirely my fault, I'm very sorry about that...  
The customer took a step forward.  
"Is everything okay ? Do you need to talk ?"  
To such kind words of innocence, Tsugumi immediately broke into tears. Aya pulled the poor tavern worker for a warm embrace. It was almost as magical as Sayo's... which made Tsugumi's tears flow even more.

Aya gently rubbed the back of the girl. She was so empathetic that she was on the verge of crying as well.  
\- There, there... I'm here for you.  
\- Thank you...  
Maybe talking about the issue would make it worse, but at this point, she needed to talk to someone. Anyone.  
\- Maruyama-san, can you keep a secret ?  
\- Naturally ! And you can just call me Aya.  
\- ... Do you believe in magic ?  
Aya paused a few seconds before replying.  
"This doesn't look like it, does it... ? But I have fairy ancestors on my Mother's side. Yes, I do believe in magic !"  
Tsugumi could never have guessed. Aya looked human from head to toe. If it was distant ancestry, it made sense that she didn't grow wings or antennae. But this explained her strong empathy, and the magical feeling she had when the two girls hugged. She was most likely capable of casting white magic, there was nearly no doubt. This made Tsugumi want to trust her even more.

\- Oh Aya, what should I do ? I made a terrible mistake, I hurt all my friends... It was so selfish of me to bring a dragon in my village...  
\- ... A dragon, you say ?  
Aya looked like she knew what Tsugumi was talking about. She had a look in her eye, the compassionate glance that reads "I understand"...  
\- It's... funny you're bringing up dragons. I'm very close to one myself.  
\- You are ?  
The fairy descendant nodded. She truly looked like light incarnated, the meaning of comfort in the form of a living being.  
\- Something tells me that we are both talking about the two dragons of the Hikawa lair...  
\- ...  
Aya gave her new friend a delicate shoulder pat.  
\- As lovely as she is, Hina and I aren't on the same page all the time either. I got in a lot of trouble with her, yes. But she always accepted my sincere apologies whenever I gave them.  
\- ... Sayo would kill me if she saw me again after yesterday.  
\- I don't think so. If you'd like, I'll come with you tomorrow.  
\- But Aya- !!!  
\- The twins won't hurt you if you're with me. We can talk them out of their grudge together.  
Tsugumi burst into tears again, hugging her new faerie friend tight. The angel of light embraced the helpless girl.  
"This will all work out. I'll pick you up at dawn tomorrow."

It was the middle of the night. The streets were quiet, the village was dormant. The scenery was nothing but shadow puppets. It was the perfect time for the two transformed dragons to put an end to their mortal enemy unnoticed, blending with the darkness of the eerie hour.  
They were carefully gliding above the rooftops, tracking down the stench from the festival in complete silence, avoiding the very light and unneffective night patrol.  
Hina's smile was gone. She knew what was happening, and looked even more eager to unleash her fury upon Tomoe than Sayo herself.

Without a word, Sayo dashed and performed a circle motion around a rooftop, like a vulture's sinister dance before a kill. There it was. The bloodstained woman's residence.

One of the windows was open. The two dragons carefully landed in what appeared to be a bedroom.  
This room, somehow, make the two girls sick to their stomach instantly. It was in perfect order, as if the bedroom remained unoccupied for a very long time, and desperately waited for its resident to return. But there was... something unnameable, some forbidden, dark energy flowing through the walls.  
This obviously wasn't Tomoe's bedroom. It felt oddly familiar to Sayo.

While the fire dragon was already heading out to where Tomoe was sleeping, Hina began browsing through the shelves. Sayo angrily gestured at her sister to stop the ruckus, but deep down, something was calling. She knew it. While Tomoe was asleep, perhaps she could help Hina. This will also prevent her from knocking things over and alerting the sleeping executioner. Maybe this was the key to find out what happened, to figure what drove this human to despise dragonkind so much.  
"I have a bad feeling about this..." whispered Sayo to her sister. "I don't think we're remotely ready for what we're looking for..."  
Hina didn't mind the warnings. She looked through what was more and more certain to be the room of Tomoe's lost sister. Sayo didn't remember ever killing such a person. Something didn't quite sound right.

And there it was. The girls found an old, battered grimoire. When Hina tried to pick it up, a sharp pain ran through her hands. She tried not to scream and wail, but couldn't get herself to pick it up before it fell to the ground.  
The book opened as it fell. The dragons could both hear what was clearly ominous, sinister whispering coming out of the grimoire. The book was laughing. Every page radiated an energy similar to curses as old as time itself, ancient magic the first gods themselves do not speak of. Sigils of unnameable monstrosity, forbidden symbols of the darkest kind of magic... the dragons looked in horror as they noticed : one of the patterns had been used, a single blood stain from the spellcaster at the center of the page was the undeniable proof of the dark truth.

"... Hina..." Sayo was shaking from every fiber of her divine body. "I know what happened that night."  
The lightning goddess didn't understand what she was talking about. She watched her sister burst into Tomoe's room, shaking her violently to wake her up. There goes their one attempt to avenge their kind.

"Wake up, dragon slayer." ordered the fire dragon to her mortal enemy. Tomoe immediately grabbed a dagger she had been keeping on her nightstand, pointed directly at the twins.  
\- You've got some nerve to sneak into my house like this again, monster...  
\- That is not important. Drop your weapon. We will not hurt you.  
Tomoe laughed, not letting her dagger go. Hina was giving her sister confused looks, still very down to kill her mother's murderer.  
\- Why should I trust dragons ? You'll kill me if I show the slightest bit of weakness.  
\- Her name is Ako Udagawa-san, isn't it...

The dragon slayer immediately dropped her weapon in shock. Sayo knew Hina was going to leap at the executioner, and pinched her arm to get her to stay in place. The lightning dragon yelped in pain as her sister remained perfectly still.  
\- W... What do you know ?  
\- She is still alive. I never took her life.  
Tomoe had a moment of doubt. Understandable, from where she was coming. Sayo gave Tomoe a respectful nod, which Hina still did not understand in the slightest.  
\- I have a deal for you. If you stop hunting dragons and bury the remains of those you killed, I will help you find the young Udagawa-san.  
\- ... You won't turn on me, will you ?  
\- Dragons keep their promises for eternity, human. The real question is, will YOU turn on us ?  
Hina finally understood where this was going. Of course, killing Tomoe would not have stopped the wrath of the dragon slayers. There would always be a next Tomoe. However, this plan would last on the long term. There was one thing she did not understand, still : was Sayo keeping a secret she was not aware of ?

"... I will put my trust in you, Dragon." finally muttered Tomoe.  
Sayo, walking backwards to the exit, never turning her back to the dragon slayer, had a deal.  
"Meet me tomorrow morning by the entrance to the woods. My sister and I will pick you up there. Do not bring weapons."  
The twins disappeared into the night just like they came, like two shadows.

The dawn came. The Hikawa twins were waiting for the former dragon slayer, who had gotten rid of her murderous attire. She was in a proper, refined steel armor, while still respecting the dragon's request of not bringing any of her daggers, axes or crossbows.  
\- I see you've finally burried the carcasses you were carrying.  
\- I did what you've asked me to do, yeah. Now it's your turn to show me you're not a snake. Take me to my sister.

Before Sayo could take Tomoe into the woods, she noticed two small figures in the middle of the path watching them. One of them was... oh that was the half fairy her sister was so fond of. She couldn't see the other silhouette quite right, and had to squint before realizing who this familiar human was...

"... Hazawa-san."


	7. Dragon blood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tomoe and Sayo have a deal : if the dragon slayer stops slaughtering mythical beings, Sayo will reveal what truly happened to Ako, her lost sister. They were headed to Rinko's cottage, when suddenly, Tsugumi appears in front of her beloved dragon as an attempt to patch things up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Based on this character design thread: https://twitter.com/Noctiilio/status/1253106116558557186

"Hazawa-san..."

Tsugumi was standing in the middle of the road. She was petrified, she didn't move despite being noticeably shaking. The dragon's gaze was locked onto the tavern girl, as Tomoe, cautious, didn't know what to expect from the two. Despite not having any weapons on her, she clutched her fist and got ready, in case Sayo would hurt her friend.  
Neither the dragon or the human moved or spoke.

It wasn't until Aya pushed Tsugumi forward that the situation evolved. The desperate human spoke so loud and so quickly, she was constantly out of breath :  
"I'm... I'm sorry, I should have told you about all this... I-I knew Tomoe was a dragon slayer, but... I didn't know about the rest, I swear... Y-You're allowed to hate me, yes, I messed up... I-I'd understand, but... I want to hear it from you. I-I want to know if I have a chance again..."  
Sayo stared at the human. She looked either eerily judgemental or warmly compassionate, it was hard to tell between the two.  
"... Sayo... please..."  
The lady of the winds walked forward without a word. Tomoe kept an eye on the dragon, more and more certain something bad would happen.

Tsugumi and Sayo were now eye to eye. Even from up close, it was impossible to know what the divine creature was thinking. The tavern girl could feel her signature warmth radiating from her heart, a warmth she thought she would never feel again. Tears began flowing from the human's eyes.  
"... Say something, Sayo... Please..."  
Before she could realize, Tsugumi found herself pulled towards the dragon, lips to lips with the lady of the winds. It was warmer than anything Sayo had emitted before. Her wings were softly wrapping themselves around the human. A soft breeze flowed, adding more magic to the moment. It felt like the concept of time had disappeared for this one moment.  
Tsugumi still couldn't understand why a divine creature would choose her, the most ordinary villager, out of all people... But at the same time, the human never wanted to pull back from this tender, timeless instant.

"It wasn't your fault..." whispered the dragon, running her fingers through Tsugumi's hair. "It never was, and never will."

Tsugumi, crying her eyes out again, hugged the dragon tighter than she ever had before. Tomoe, Hina and Aya watched the romantic couple, more or less crying as well.  
\- I love you, Sayo...  
\- ... Welcome home.

Now having both Aya and Tsugumi added to the adventure, the dragons and the humans were on their way to Rinko's cottage. The enchanted glade, in the morning, was covered in early morning dew. Only Sayo had known about this magical place in the center of the forest, so naturally, everyone else accompanying her for the first time was in awe. Sayo had to briefly scold Hina for trying to climb up a magic infused mushroom.  
Rinko was waiting on her porch, visibly exhausted. She was a night elf, after all. Having her nocturnal lifestyle disrupted to stay up after dawn had its side effects on the witch.  
"I was expecting you, come in. We have much to discuss...".  
The usual melancholy of her voice was even stronger than usual. Tomoe didn't know what to emotionally prepare herself for, but she knew, deep down, that despite all the efforts in the world, she would never be prepared enough for the truth.

Rinko's cottage was decorated in timeless artifacts and holy talismans. Polished amethysts, druidic emblems, sacred flowers, incense, the athmosphere of the place the witch calls home set everyone at ease, in trust. Even Tomoe herself released a bit of the tension she kept since the beginning of the day. However, when the nocturnal mage resurfaced from the basement, a chill could be felt down the party's spine. She whistled, to which a set of teacups and a kettle started levitating towards the table the party was sitting by. Despite the tense situation, she was still hospitable.

The witch spoke, holding many magical books. Some of them were so old, they dated from the dawn of Gods. Only Sayo didn't seem surprised.  
\- Tomoe Udagawa-san... Dragon slayer, previously bounty hunter... I-I suppose you are prepared for what you are about to hear.  
\- ... Not really, but I want to hear. Tell me what happened to my sister, wise witch.  
The mercenary was on the edge of hear seat, eager to know what would be revealed. Sayo got up to stand next to the nervous witch to give her some support.

\- Udagawa-san. Are you aware of what your sister was up to while you were tasked on quests accross your kingdom, back in your bounty hunter days ?  
\- Well, I thought she was training to follow my steps, but something tells me that's not it... haha...  
Sayo and Rinko had an ominous exchange of concerned looks. Something was definitely not right. The dragon spoke again.  
\- Your sister wanted your recognition. She wanted your praise, she wanted to impress you. Like you've always impressed her.  
\- Well, yeah, I knew that.  
\- No, you did not.

The mercenary, taken aback by such a harsh response from the creature, controlled herself not to give in to her hot-headed tendencies. She leaned back into her chair, and gestured to the two girls to continue the story.  
\- A-Ako-chan actually... found something she thought would help her become your equal...  
\- ... Udagawa-san, were you aware that your sister was teaching herself high ranked black magic whenever you weren't home ?  
\- ?!  
Hina gave Tomoe the ominous book they found in Ako's old room, whispering to her former mortal enemy "Don't open this." Tomoe found it difficult to breathe. Tsugumi put her hand over her bounty hunter friend's.

Rinko continued.  
\- One night, after training for months and getting nothing... A-Ako-chan wanted more power... S-Something that would allow her to skip all the steps...  
\- What was practice back then became practical. In the middle of the night, while you were asleep, the young Udagawa-san performed a dark ritual to offer her allegiance to the Supreme Order of the Primordial Demons, in exchange for instant magic.  
\- ... There's... no way...  
It was unusual for Tomoe to cry. She'd always toughen up, hold it in and display a smile... but not this time. This was too much. The worst part ? Even if Tomoe tried to remain in denial, even if she tried convincing herself that the dragons were lying, she couldn't ignore how this all made sense.  
"Tomoe-chan..." Tsugumi leaned to the side for a comfort hug, which was immediately rejected by the mercenary. She wouldn't even look at her anymore, her gaze was locked onto Sayo and Rinko.  
"... Continue." She said, hand clutched on her pained heart.  


Rinko's eyes were avoiding everyone else's.  
\- T-The first age demons heard her call and answered... B-But when they saw Ako-chan...  
\- They rejected the young Udagawa-san for not being strong enough for their ranks, choosing to consume her soul as magic fuel for themselves instead.  
Tomoe slammed her fist onto the table, sending all the tea cups flying. Aya, Hina, Rinko and Tsugumi jumped back a little. Tears were flowing heavily from the warrior's face. She repeatedly muttered her sister's name. Tsugumi was horribly concerned about her friend.

Sayo took a step forward, gesturing towards Hina.  
\- Us dragons were designed by the gods themselves to fight such creatures. That is our primary purpose, which you humans forgot over time. I was the first of my sanctuary to sense the dark energy flowing from the young Udagawa-san. I took flight, and came as fast as I could to take her to this cottage. I had to take her from you in order to bring her here.  
\- ... You've got one heck of a nose, dragon.  
The former dragon slayer tried to force a laugh. It didn't work as well as it usually should.  
Rinko clung onto her grimoire, she was shaking.  
\- W-When Sayo-san brought your sister in... I was asked to bring her back to light... I-I tried ! I really tried ! B-But... Every spell of mine failed to work... I-I tried exorcising, resurrecting, spirit summons of First age angels to help me... b-but... none of them worked... Her soul was fading away from existence, I had never seen anything like it before...  
\- Something needed to be done, in order to reverse the young Udagawa-san's cancellation. Shirokane-san, the spellbook, please.  
\- Y-Yes Sayo-san !

Rinko carefully stepped forward, delicately putting the heavy spellbook on the table.  
\- T-Tomoe-san, what I'll show you next might be a bit much for you, are you sure you want to continue ?  
\- Bring it on. This can't be worse than this already is.  
The witch thought for a moment before quickly flipping the pages of the old book. While she was browsing through the countless time-worn spells and guides, Sayo spoke.  
\- We had to give your sister something strong enough to balance out the energy of the Primordial Order. Upon Rinko's prayer, I gave the young Udagawa-san a part of my divine nature...  
Tomoe, upon these words, gave the dragon an incredulous glare before quickly standing up, horrified.

"... You gave my sister your blood..."

Sayo nodded, a melancholic look in her eye. Tomoe jumped directly in front the dragon, firmly grabbing her by the collar of her transormed outfit before anyone on the couch could stop her.  
\- Udagawa-san. This was the only way.  
\- There is always another way, you foul beast.  
Rinko quickly interfered.  
\- I-It was on my demand... P-Please, let Sayo-san go, I will explain.  
Tomoe reluctantly loosened the grip on Sayo, giving her a hasty gesture to keep going.  
\- Udagawa-san, upon perfect balance, should have retained her human nature regardless. My blood should have repelled the implanted seal of the Demonic Order, nothing more. But...  
\- ... But ?  
\- A-Ako-chan didn't want to give up her magic and fought back... She corrupted my attempt to save her...  
Rinko opened the page of her book in front of Tomoe.

On the page, a horrifying depiction of a creature. It looked humanoid, but looked somehow like an evil, primitive version of the noble, refined dragons as well. Tomoe had never seen such a creature before.  
\- What's this ?! Why are you showing me this ?  
\- This, Udagawa-san, is a Gargoyle. Your sister turned herself into this after rejecting my blood's magic. This is what we are now looking fo-

Tomoe immediately jumped from her chair and slapped Sayo in the face the hardest she could. Sayo almost fell over from the impact, Hina got up to protect her sister, snarling.  
Rinko, almost curled into a ball, was gestured to continue by the fire dragon. After much hesitation, and still very nervous, the elven witch spoke :  
\- ... She loved you so much, she left this note on Shirokane-san's desk the night after.  
Sayo took a step forward, glaring intensely at Tomoe.

The dragon forced a worn letter into the redhead's hand. Tomoe opened it, only to read her sister's handwriting, horrified :  
_"Rinrin,_  
_By the time you read this, I am no longer in your lovely house._  
_My sister was my inspiration, my everything ! She was so cool ! I wanted to live up to her, I wanted to make her proud ! I thought I could harness the magic if I tried hard enough... If i was strong, like Onee-chan, maybe I wouldn't even need Sayo-san's blood!_  
_How could I mess up so badly ?_  
_My days as a sentient being are counted. Soon, I will no longer be who I am. My horns are growing larger, my fangs are getting sharper, my memories are fading. I don't remember my childhood anymore. Soon, I'll forget everything else too. It's the end for me. I see it now._  
_I'm not going to tell you where I'm headed. I know you'll look for me, Rinrin. And I don't want you or anyone to, by the time you find me, I will be too far gone, I might try to kill you._  
_Please, forgive me. I love my sister, I love my village... and I love you, too. H-Had I been given more time... I would have confessed to you properly... But before I'm gone, I want you to know that I always found you beautiful, Rin-rin._  
_Thank you for everything. If you see Nee-chan, tell her I don't want her to hurt Sayo-san... That is my last word._  
_\- Ako-chan._  


The letter was stained. Tears from the writer, and now, from Tomoe as well.  
"Oh Ako... I'm so sorry I wasn't there for you..." hiccuped the sobbing warrior. "I'd do anything to tell you how much you mean to me again..."  
The dragon stepped forward, giving a warm shoulder pat to her former enemy.  
"Udagawa-san. We still have a deal."  


"Let's get your sister home"


	8. The chosen one

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Tomoe recovers from the shock of her sister's true whereabouts, Tsugumi feels like something doesn't belong. And that something is no other than her very own presence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit of a bonding moment before the final arc begins ! Based on this character design thread: https://twitter.com/Noctiilio/status/1253106116558557186

The enchanted woods at dawnbreak were beautiful. It was serene, peaceful, yet magical. All the more restless spirits of the night had vanished, it felt like peace after a storm. The morning birds here were thousand years old phoenixes, singing harmoniously with one another, waiting for their peers to answer from the other side of the glade. Some unicorns were setting a hoof outside, now that the raging tricksters of the moon were gone.

It was a sight your typical human would only dream of and never see. Tsugumi, however, was able to be part of the scene, in front of the witch's cottage. She had distanced herself a little from the rest of the agitated crowd, Tomoe needed some time alone with Rinko to process what had just been revealed. As for Tsugumi herself... well, she needed to reflect on this a little as well. Why was she part of this anyway ?

"Hazawa-san."  
Since when was Sayo with her ? She didn't even notice the dragon's presence, that's how lost in thought she was.  
The lady of the winds had a concerned look on her beautiful face. It was hard to hide it from her if something wasn't right.  
A delicate pat from the deity was felt on the tavern girl's shoulder.  
"Is something the matter, Hazawa-san ?"  
Tsugumi, avoiding eye contact, knew better than to lie to or hide things from a dragon. Especially the one she was in love with. If she had to talk about this, then so be it.

-Sayo-san... can I ask you something ?  
-Most certainly, Hazawa-san.  
The transformed dragon gave the human a warm smile.

"Sayo... why did you choose me ?"

Astonished by such a strange question, Sayo had to get Tsugumi to repeat that.  
"I am deeply sorry, but I don't understand what exactly you meant by that."  
Tsugumi sat down in the enchanted grass. Her girlfriend followed suit, right next to her.

"Sayo I... I don't know what's so special about me... Have you seen me ? I'm just a humble tavern girl... Why are you so invested in me ?"  
The fire dragon's gaze was locked onto the human. Tsugumi sighed, teary eyed.  
"Do I really deserve all this, Sayo... ? You're a dragon... Your friends are magical beings... There's something special about everyone here ! Except for me... I can't even punch back if I'm hit... Even the birds here are more special than I'll ever be...  
So why ? What's so special about me ? I'm nobody !"

Smooch.  
A gentle peck from Sayo landed on Tsugumi's forehead.  
"Hazawa-san, that brain of yours is overthinking it all." chuckled the endeared dragon.  
Tsugumi, confused, had no idea what that meant, nor in which way this answered her genuine questions.

"It is true, Hazawa-san. Us dragons are noble fighters of a divine order. We dedicate our lives to fighting demonic entities, that is a fact. We are Gods."  
Before Tsugumi could proceed being harsh on herself, Sayo continued.  
"However, as fierce as we are, it is exceedingly rare for us to find trust. To encounter genuine good in this world worth fighting for. Unconditional love... Some of us remain in their lair for all their lives, and never get someone who understands them. Loves them. A dragon's life is solitary, for centuries and on."  
Sayo leaned against Tsugumi. Her wings were wrapping themselves around the delicate human.

"Hazawa-san. You've changed me for the better. Your kindness is more than what any dragon could dream of."  
... It was true, Sayo had become warmer since their first encounter. She was less defensive, less bitter, less stuck in the past, less hurt...  
"I am in love with you, Hazawa-san. You are my chosen one, never doubt the flame I carry in my heart for you again."  
Tsugumi leaned back on Sayo, their foreheads and noses touching.

"Sayo-san, I was thinking... maybe once this is all over, we could live together ?"  
The lady of the winds was listening, but did not respond.  
"I-I mean, you could live at my place ! Once everyone sees you've brought Ako back to our village, you'll be a hero... You'll get celebrated, you'll be beloved... and... most importantly, we'll be together..."  
The embrace of Sayo's wings loosened a bit around Tsugumi.  
-... In all honesty, I doubt this to be a good idea. I think you might have forgotten that I am unable to stay in this form for too long.  
\- Oh... That's right...  
\- ... If any neighboring kingdoms learned of my whereabouts, peace would be over. Not only would other, more ruthless dragon slayers hunt me and Hina down, but they would hurt you to get to me...  
Tsugumi sighed. Perhaps this was too idealistic of her.  
"In any case Hazawa-san, it will most certainly be easier for us to see each other in these woods after we restore the young Udagawa-san to her humanity. That is something I look forward to."  
Another gentle peck was given to Tsugumi, this time on the tip of her nose... It felt a little rougher than the previous.

"Ah ! Sayo-san ! Your nose !"  
Indeed, Sayo's scales were beginning to show themselves again on her face. From her belt, she hastily grabbed a new flask of the magical potion, chugged it down at what seemed to be light speed, choking on it in the process. Tsugumi gave Sayo a panicked pat on the back to stop the coughing fit.  
When it stopped, Sayo's scales were gone again. But her face was red in embarrassment.  
Tsugumi bursted out of laughter at what just happened, which Sayo joined. Ah, moments like these were true bliss. It's at times like these that they truly realized they were made for one another. A quick, delicate kiss on the lips from Tsugumi followed the laughter.

"A-Ah, I think this is the worst time for me to interrupt..." A soft-spoken voice was heard behind the couple.  
Rinko just walked on the scene. The dragon quickly pulled back from Tsugumi.  
-What is it, Shirokane-san ?  
-Oh, i-its about Ako-chan... for tonight...  
The dragon raised an eyebrow, not following what the point was yet.

"W-We have a plan."


	9. Beast of the Darkest Hour

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tomoe, Sayo and Rinko plan out their search of Ako, who must have long lost her sanity since she vanished. While Hina and Aya use their knowledge on mythical creatures, Tomoe prepares herself to face her sister again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is more focused on Ayahina!  
> Based on this character design thread: https://twitter.com/Noctiilio/status/1253106116558557186
> 
> (Ps for the veterans: I edited chapters 5 and 7 slightly on april 23rd, 2020 to fix what prevented me from going forward in the story for so long!)

Sayo and Tsugumi sat down around the table once more, for the final decision regarding the young Ako Udagawa. Everyone was here : Rinko, Tomoe, Hina, Aya... and those last two had just arrived. Sayo, while still very solemn and serious, was visibly annoyed that this had to happen right as she was having a tender moment with her beloved human. Who knows, maybe for the last time, if this mission turned sour...  
The heavy silence around the table kept lasting and lasting. No one would speak. It seemed to have lasted hours, while in reality, the Lady of the Winds had just finished sitting down.

"Shirokane-san. What is that... plan of yours ?"  
Rinko, still her nose in her books, had all the eyes on her. She took a glance a little above the edge of her book, only to see all of these faces looking at her. She let out a small squeak and nervously flipped her pages to get back on track.  
-S-So... As you all know, we are dealing with a g-gargoyle. I've been taking care of Ako-chan to help her recover...  
-Yes, Shirokane-san, we've already been through the backstory. What matters now is what we will do next.  
-Y-Yes of course Sayo...  
Rinko sighed, she was really losing track of this whole thing, she just wanted Ako back, as much as everyone else.

The witch flipped through a few more pages of her aged tome. She looked like the whole process of this was putting her under the same amount of stress as everyone else's combined.  
-S-Sayo... Tomoe, Hina and I discussed, you might be the only one able to track Ako-chan down..  
-... Why is that ?  
\- Because of your blood in my sister's veins, dummy.  
Tomoe, despite aggressively calling the dragon a dummy, seemed to try an attempt to come to more peaceful with her former nemesis... Well... if that pointless bantering was how most humans socialized, she didn't like that, that's for sure. Whatever, this wasn't the worst thing in this whole adventure.

-As much as this theory makes sense, this will only work if I know where to look first. Covering the integrity of the realm tracking down the young Udagawa-san will be time and energy consuming. If we don't know where to look, that advantage we have will be vain.  
-Excuse me but... I might be able to help with that.  
In all that ruckus, Aya had made herself very quiet and nearly unnoticeable until she spoke up.  
-... Oh, you're Hina's half-faerie playmate, aren't you ?  
\- Yes... We've never met in person before, but... it's nice to meet you...  
All the eyes previously locked on Rinko, were now aimed at Aya, including the witch's own gaze, curious about what the fairy descendant had to suggest.  
-I-I'm actually a mythology expert, we've studied magical creatures with Hina at different locations before...  
-Ah, very well, that makes sense... Maruyama-san, you can continue.

-I was thinking... Maybe Hina and I can go scout for locations we could find Gargoyles in.  
The crowd of adventurers looked at each other, unsure of what to think. Sayo raised an eyebrow.  
-Aya-san, won't you be in danger if you get too close? Ako isn't the only demon living out there, you might run into very hostile monsters out there...  
-Don't worry sis!! I'm a dragon too, you know? I can do this in a flash!  
The lightning dragon was sparkling, surging with excitement. Quite with the literal sense, as Aya got slightly zapped upon contact with Hina's rapidly wagging tail.  
Rinko, wary, spoke up.  
-But... N-Night time is coming... T-The night creatures can be dangerous and very powerful!!  
Aya, surprisingly confident, winked at the mage.  
-Exactly, Rinko. How are we supposed to track down a nocturnal gargoyle during day? Let us do it!

Without further ado, Rinko gave them a nod. Sayo hugged Hina very tight.  
"Hina. I don't want you to lose a single scale out there. Come back to us in a single piece."  
Hina didn't respond, except with a confident "Ya-Hoooo!" before backflipping, and quickly turning into her dragon form, Aya hopping onto her back for their night flight across the realm. There they went, hopefully, they would come back just as fast as they left...

Straight into a thick layer of clouds and fog, Hina's flight was surprisingly calm tonight. Aya was used to the fast, never ending roller coaster that was the thunder goddess' flying style. But for once, it wasn't the case. She was invested in the mission... and perhaps, she just wanted nothing but for Aya to feel safe for a brief amount of time. After all that happened this day... Dragon slayers, Mages, demons... it was nice just to be them, for once.  
Aya gently scratched the dragon's neck scales, to which the divine creature purred in response.  
-When this is all over, Hina... I'll invite you to the citadel again. I'll have cake ready, you will play with Eve again... you'll see Maya... Chisato... like old times.  
-Grrrpphh...  
Hina sped up slightly from excitement before returning to her cruise speed, ensuring Aya was comfortable above all else. After a few minutes of complete silence, except the wind caressing Hina's wings, Aya spoke softly again, smiling.  
-Hina. I'm very proud of you. You're doing so much for us, for your sister, for peace... I admit... I've always thought everything you stood for, all your ideals, weren't possible in this dark world we live in...  
-...  
-Peace between all humans and dragons, redemption and acceptance for your sister... I wanted to believe in you, I trusted you, but... I didn't had enough hope in the rest of the world to believe it was possible.  
-Grrrnnnn...  
-... But over time, you proved me that people could change if you believe in them. You believed in me. You believed in Sayo. You changed us, and look where you took us! I'm sure Sayo-san is just as prou of you as everyone else. And even if not... well, I am!  
Hina, flustered, discharged a small wave of electricity across her body, making Aya's hair stand. The princess giggled, and tried to fix her beautiful, pink hair Hina was so fond of.  
-S-Stop ruining my hair, you little prankster! You won't like running your fingers in them as much if they're bad!  
Both laughed together. This was bliss. They were alone, together, and almost forgot about their quest.

They were quickly brought out of their blissful innocence when they escaped from the clouds, looking at the far, far ground below them.  
-That's right... We have to focus...  
Hina lowered her altitude slightly. Still high enough to scout the area, but low enough to be grounded to reality: they were sent on a mission.  
Aya took her field guide from her purse. She was writing it with Hina. Her article on gargoyles is kind of dated, and unfinished, but that would do the trick, she thought.  
-Alright. If I quote this paragraph... ahem... Gargoyles are nocturnal demons. They turn into statues upon contact with the sun, so they will stay in their lair and avoid all light, including the moon's. While this doesn't turn them into stone, moonligh- OOPS!  
The pages flipped with the wind. Aya went back to find the page again, and held it still to read.  
-As I was saying! Moonlight doesn't turn them into stone, but it makes their extraordinary powers weaker! They are at their strongest in absolute absence of light, and only hunt outside of their territory if the night sky is very close or just past its new moon phase....  
Hina looked at the moon. It was almost full. Ako was definitely staying in her lair tonight. They wouldn't have a chance to look for a flying creature from above.  
-Yeah Hina... I know... But hey! There's always a plan B! Now, where are my notes on how to track one down... Ah! There! Signs of presence and preferred lairs!

Aya mumbled and mumbled, reading to herself, her nose almost buried in her own sloppy notes. Hina slowed down even more to allow the faerie to read her own bad handwriting.  
-Gargoyles prefer abandoned, ruined places. Mostly luxurious mansions and former religious buildings like churches, monasteries or abbeys left behind, where they can blend among the statues and sculptures the best.  
Hina lowered her altitude slightly, the fairy was too focused, and didn't notice.  
-They live in very hostile environments most creatures would not dare to tread in. Dead forests, haunted swamps, or anything that could repel spirits of Light and gods themselves. Their preferred prey are weaker demons, which they suck the life force from to grow their own... That's... charming. The lair notes end there... We never had the courage to get in a real gargoyle's territory, remember how scared we were? Haha.. Yeah... Then, the "Powers and Magical abilities" section...

An ominous caw startled Aya, who lifted her head from her book.  
They were in some stranded dead forest, where the fog was so thick, it blocked the moonlight for the greater part. The only source of light was from the green wisps eerily floating over the tombstones and multiple creature remains. There were ruins of what must have been a former village scattered everywhere. There were pentagrams on the floor. Hina was carefully avoiding flying into them, they must be infused with powerful dark magic, Aya guessed.  
Aya leaned closer to Hina for comfort. She looked to her right, a few, small goblins, from behind the trees, hissed at them and ran away to hide from the thunder goddess. Hina's runes were pulsating, as an intimidation display. Her back spines were standing up, her scales were puffed like some cat's hair. She was growling softly. She wanted Aya safe. The princess, on the other hand, was shaking like a withering leaf about to fall from her tree.  
-Y-Yeah... If I were a gargoyle... I-I'd definitely hide somewhere around here... G-Good job Hina...  
Aya, getting paler every second, gently patted the dragon's neck to congratulate her on her find. Hina didn't flinch or react.  
-N-Now if there was some sort of old mansion or cathedral, this would be ideal...  
Hina took off and gained some altitude, to circle the area, looking for the most extravagant ruins in this cursed, forgotten carcass of a town.  
-M-Maybe there's an old church... E-Every village has one, this one couldn't have been an excepti- OH! There! Look, to your right, there's a cathedral, even better!  
Hina slowly maneuvered to the direction Hina showed and circled around it like a vulture for closer inspection. Yeah... this place had man made stone gargoyles on it... Those were inanimate, of course, but a real, living specimen might as well be inside.  
"Grrrrph!!!" snarled Hina.  
"Y... Yeah I'm ready... You can... land..." the princess gulped. She didn't want to get any closer. But they had to.

The dragon and the fairy made it to the land. The area, previously buzzing with eerie sounds, turned to complete silence as soon as the dragon touched the ground with the tip of her claw. Not a single sound was heard.  
Hina carefully turned into her humanoid form, wrapping her wing around Aya and giving her a nuzzle.  
-I'll protect you, Aya-chan.  
-I-I know... That's why I'm okay with getting in... there...  
Aya gestured at the large cathedral. Stained glass, statues, a dreadful, heavy atmosphere reeking of dark arts, this was definitely a gargoyle's lair...  
-I... I s-sure hope we're onto the right gargoyle on our first try... I don't wanna mess with the wrong demon...

The door was shut, but one panel was broken, and left a small opening big enough for a person to fit in. Aya had no problem getting in, Hina, however... had to squeeze her wings into the tiny opening and tilted her head sideways to fit her horns in. They got in. Now, to find further evidence that they had the right specimen, hopefully without encountering it.  
They both paced very carefully. Hina's tail was dragging behind and making a very slight, constant noise, which the dragon solved by grabbing her own tail and wrapping it around her neck like a scarf. No more noise, fashion statement, clever Hina.  
They got in the praying room. The seats were knocked over, unholy patterns were written in green on the walls. "Goblin blood rituals..." whispered Hina to Aya, who quickly grabbed her field guide to write that down.  
"Gargoyles perform rituals using a lesser demon's blood after feasting on their energy", she added to the page. She closed her book, and put it back in her purse.  
Claw marks. Everywhere. On every holy symbol. On every star. A statue was in the middle of the ceremony room. Carved in white marble, it was lacerated with claw marks and had been decapitated as a sign of dominance from the monster. The head was further down, the fairy ran on the tip of her toes to inspect it.  
It was a beautiful woman, with long, low pigtails, and an intricate, ornate crown. The creature had drawn tears from her eyes with red blood this time... Definitely human.  
"Arisa, the First Age's Goddess of Nature and Wisdom..." Hina whispered.  
They looked around them. Destroyed, vandalized statues of all the five Goddesses of creation were brought down on the ground, arms cut, face scarred, demonic patterns all over them. Kasumi, Goddess of music, Dreams and Light, Queen of all Gods. Saaya, Goddess of Love and creator of Humans. Rimi, Goddess of Magic and Angel of The Afterlife. ...Tae, Goddess of the Wilderness and Divine creatures... creator of dragons... oh this one had seen the worst of it, she was barely recognizable with all those scars into the white marble.  
"I can't believe it... This was... the long lost cathedral of the Star... This is the dead kingdom Kasumi and the fellow first Gods used to rule..."  
Aya grabbed her field guide and flipped all the way to the last page, the world map double page. She couldn't see such a place... How far had they wandered ? Hina points to the very edge of the top right corner. North East all the way. Nothing was written here. Aya, not sure how to cartography this undiscovered place yet, draws a large circle with her pencil, and a cross where Hina's claw was pointing. "Cathedral of the Star." she writes.

The two explorers, hand in hand, got out of the prayer room to take the stairs. They had more evidence about a Gargoyle, but no evidence for Ako herself. Maybe... this wasn't the right demon's lair after all... Aya had this strange feeling of being watched at all times, but chose to blame it on her growing stress.  
First floor. Shattered glass everywhere. More claw marks. The bed sheets and the golden, ornate curtains were teared into shreds. Whatever that creature used to be before its curse, it is now completely feral and definitely hostile. Aya started praying this wasn't Ako's lair, in the end.  
"Psst, Aya, look..." Aya turned to the dragon, only to find with horror, a giant wall with the only understandable writings on it. Only one word was spelled on this, all accross an entire wall of the room. The lower it goes, the less readable it becomes until it becomes nothing but claw marks. This is the visible proof of the Gargoyle's bottomless descent into insanity and primordial darkness.  
TOMOE. TOMOE. TOMOE. TOMOE. TOMOE. TOMOE. TOMOE. T O M O E. TT,,OMOE. toMOƎ TTMNN, T NNVOOMENEE... ̵̫̄ ̶̢͔ ̸̧̹͒ ̵͉̇ ̴̝͛͗ ̶̗͇͒̿ ̸͈̳̈ ̷̦͊ ̷̺̔̒ ̷̮̳̊ ... and then, nothing but claw marks carved into the wall.  
"... this is definitely Ako's lair. We have to go tell the others IMMEDIATELY."

Hina grabbed Aya's hand, and slowly ran down the stairs on the tip of her toes. Aya almost tumbled and fell down the staircase, but managed to catch herself and keep running... Her purse, however...

CLING, PLINK, GLING GLINGLINGLING....  
The two scouts stopped and watched, horrified, Aya's pen slowly falling down the stairs from her purse, making an echoed wood noise, reverbing through the entire cathedral on every single one of the steps.  
They bolted for the exit. Aya tried picking up her pencil on her way out. Hina tried stopping her and grabbing her to keep her safe... The dragon howled in extreme pain. Something extremely sharp just dug deep into her right leg without warning, her holy blood scattering everywhere. Aya pulled the dragon out of the small opening, which Hina had to force herself in. They briefly looked back, only to see a blood stained, purple hand ornated with sharp claws aggressively trying to scratch Hina's face through the broken planks. Snarling, inhuman hissing behind the door. The creature's obscured silhouette, unable to force her way out, jumped back to Hina's blood puddle to drink from it, all the two could see were glowing red eyes, and Hina's blood dripping from the gargoyle's mouth.

Hina tried her hardest to fly in her dragon form. She would once in a while fall a bit from her high altitude. Blood was pouring from her leg like rain, it was turning purple. It was a very serious injury, it was worsening by every second. She has to go to Rinko immediately. Flying was harder and harder... but she had to do it. For Aya. For Sayo... for Ako...  
They finally made it to Rinko's cottage. Hina crashed into the glade and collapsed, immediately alerting Tomoe, Sayo, Rinko and Tsugumi. Hina was fading... the voice of her sister was echoing, but she couldn't understand what she was saying... she blacked out.

When the Goddess of Thunder came back to her senses, she was in Rinko's bed, and had a terrible headache. The witch was applying magical plant oils onto her wound, she had bandages around her leg.  
Rinko smiled, and gave the younger twin a head pat.  
-Y...You've been asleep for three days... T-Tsugumi, Aya and I took care of you and nursed you back to health...  
-Eughh... My head isn't feeling boppin right now... Am I going to die or what?  
-Heheh... You'll live, Hina. You'll live.  
Rinko patted and ruffled the dragon girl's hair some more before putting some more oil through the bandages. Hina yelped, that thing stinged!

-You're always the worst of us to nurse back to health, Hina.  
The thunder dragon looked in the voice's direction, Sayo was standing by the door, smiling.  
-You did a good job, Hina. I'm proud of you.  
D...Did she hear that right...? She... didn't just... say that...  
After processing what was just uttered by her fire twin, Hina couldn't help but burst into tears to these words. Sayo never said such things to her sister. This is all she's been waiting for.  
-*sniffle* *sob* Thhabnk Youu Obnee-Chaabnnn....Waaaaaaaaahhhh....  
Sayo affectionately rolled her eyes. Good ol' Hina was still Hina, even when recovering.  
The fire dragon turned to Aya.  
-Hina is doing better. Do you think we can fly there tonight?  
-...I don't reccommend that, she's still hurti-  
-I can do it!!! *sniffle* Nee-chan said I did a good job! I can do a good job again!!! We're leaving tonight!!!  
-But... Hina-chan!  
-Maruyama-san. You won't be able to change her mind. I will try my best to protect her. You've got my word on it.  
The fairy princess still wasn't convinced letting Hina go back to this dreadful place was a good idea, but if Sayo is here to protect her twin... Maybe she'll be okay.  
-At worst, she can transform into this form and fly on my back like you would. Believe in her, Maruyama-san, she needs your trust to recover.  
Aya, hesitant, finally gave a nod. "Alright."

Sayo turned to Tomoe, in the other room.  
-Udagawa-San, you said your friends from the human village were warriors as well, right?  
-That's right! We've got a rogue in Moca, a bounty hunter in Ran and a spy in Himari! I'll get them right away!  
The beast of Fire gave a shoulder pat of approval to her former enemy. Their friendship was growing, oddly enough, despite it all.

"We're not returning without her. My word still stands, even if it costs me my life."


	10. Last sunset

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tomoe went back to the human village to call the rest of her mercenary friends for help. Rinko and Sayo are preparing for battle, Aya is ready to use her knowledge to help the fight. It's all settled, the adventurers are all ready to face Ako's new self... but what about Tsugumi?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Based on this art thread i made on twitter: https://twitter.com/Noctiilio/status/1253106116558557186
> 
> A short-ish chapter before the final fight to bring the tissues out. Also afterglow is complete.

The wait for night time was painfully long. Sayo was pacing outside, smoke rapidly leaking from her nostrils due to pressure. Aya was clinging onto Hina for mutual comfort, checking her wound every five minutes before always congratulating her again for how good of a job she did last time. Rinko had Aya's field guide open, and compared her to her own, abstract folktale book, to tell the truth apart from her fictional, generation to generation storyook. And Tomoe... still hadn't returned from the human village.  
And what about Tsugumi? Well, she was running in circles around everyone to check on them, to make sure they were okay.

"Do you want some tea?" she'd ask, before asking permission from Rinko to pick up tasty herbs from the enchanted glade. She'd hang out tiny porcelain teacups to everyone. "Do you want something to eat?" she'd ask, before storming off to Rinko's kitchen to cook the upteenth pastry of the day. She was under a lot of stress, like everyone else, but support was her purpose. It's what she was the best at, she had to keep doing it.

"Whoaaa look, it's the scary woman from last tiiiiime~" a voice Sayo hadn't heard in quite a while was hear from the entrance. There they were, the Mercenaries of Afterglow. All in full gear. It was the first proper time Sayo saw them without their silly dragon costumes from that festival she would rather forget about.

Moca, the rogue, had a practical cloth outfit, lightweight boots and a ridiculous amount of bags to stuff all her loot, ranging from priceless belongings to useless junk, into. along with a cloak and a monster fang-decorated mask covering her own mouth, both for intimidation and to remain anonymous if she was spotted in an unfortunate turn of events. She had lockpicks, and two dual daggers.  
Himari, the spy, had a flashy outfit that was more aesthetically pleasing that practical. After all, as a spy, she would most certainly have to lower her opponent's suspicion in order to gain their trust and blend in to get information. It was still remarkably suitable for blending into crowds, though. She had knives on her left leg. Concealed and unnoticed unless she wants you to see the weapons.  
Ran, the bounty hunter, had a semi-heavy, pitch black leather armor with very little bits of red copper ornamenting and protecting her vital spots. This beautiful display of elegant armor was decorated with ancient red runes. She had an intricate wand, a crossbow and a sword, proving herself to be both a physical and magic fighter at the same time. She was definitely the most armed of the group, second only to Tomoe herself. Speaking of the former dragon slayer, she added to her armor a cloak made out of a thick animal hide, most likely a chimera, an extremely invasive species. She finally brought all her weapons from her regular hunter days. Traps, daggers, great swords, maces... Except it was no boar, lion, or even chimera she was going after, this time, as much as it psychologically hurt to know she was going to fight Ako.

Sayo was still processing the fact that these three humans she had seen once weren't wary of the dragon, despite knowing her true identity. Sayo was intrigued, and wary that these humans would turn on her after their last encounter turned sour. Ran smiled.  
-I kind of always knew something was real about that "costume" of yours, you know...  
-...Mitake-san, aren't you afraid, after last time?  
-Kind of. But if Tomoe's story is true, if she trusts you like that, then I'll get used to work with you. Let's do our best and bring our neighbor back, Lady Sayo.  
Ran bowed respectfully to the dragon. She had her word. The other two mercenaries followed, showing their respect to the Fire Goddess. The elegant dragon lady couldn't help but smile.

Sayo walked past the mercenaries, looking up at the vast sky, not without an intense look of repressed fear in her eye. The face of someone who wasn't certain to return from the adventure.  
"Then, to the Cathedral of the Star, we go at once."  
The crew started packing up, Tomoe sharpened her weapons once more just to be sure... Sayo checked on everyone, gave pointers to every adventurer, from divine beast to human warrior, except Tsugumi.  
The tavern girl was very prepared indeed. She had already packed a few pastries in case she'd get stranded somewhere like on the first day she met Sayo. Now, the little villager was prepared for intense survival... but Sayo still didn't buy any of that impressive display :  
-Hazawa-san. I will now take you back to the village.  
\- W-What ? No ! I've got all the food everyone would need for at least a month ! I'm coming !  
\- ... No you are not.  
Tsugumi was taken aback by the harsh response. The dragon reached out her hand for her beloved human.  
-Come, Hazawa-san. I will take you back to town.  
-N...No.  
-... Pardon me?  
-I said no, Sayo. I am not going anywhere near the village.  
Tsugu tried to walk past the dragon, who had unfolded her large wings to block the path.  
-Hazawa-san. I am taking you to safety. You are not battling with us.  
-Yes I am, Sayo!!! I'm your chosen one, remember?!  
Sayo's green, cat-like eyes widened. Tsugumi started tearing up.  
-You said it... yourself... If you're taking me back to the village when you need me the most, if you remove me from your life when you're out there, fighting because of me, then that beautiful speech of yours meant nothing!  
The goddess' wings folded, she took a small step back, bewildered. Tsugumi took a step forward, keeping the space between them the same. Tears were flowing heavily from her face.  
-If I hadn't run into you while running that stupid errand, if we never encountered, if you stayed in your lair, alone, and never followed me to my village, you wouldn't have to fight today! I am coming with you! No matter what you say! No matter if you hate me for that after it's all over!  
Tsugumi was not letting the dragon any time to respond. But even if she did, Sayo was too shocked to say anything. Suddenly, the tavern girl tacklehugged her magical girlfriend, sobbing even more.  
-I love you, Sayo... through thick and thin... I won't let you risk your life because we happened to meet. I'm coming to support you.

The Lady of the Winds hugged back. Sayo wasn't making any sound, or saying anything, but Tsugumi could feel tears other than her own flowing on her shoulder.  
-... I don't know if I will return from this battle, Hazawa-san...  
-Then... I will be glad to have my last breath echo with yours, Sayo.  
The dragon lady nudged her face into Tsugumi's, leaning in for a passionate kiss. The two were crying more and more all the way through. If this was their last moment together, let's make it the warmest embrace before the storm. Sayo's tongue was very hot, an slightly glowing from the fire inside of her. It felt strange at first. But Tsugumi couldn't say it bothered her at all.

-So... We're going... through it all, together?  
-Yes, Hazawa-san. Through it all, together.


	11. Between Hell and Heaven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our adventurers enter the abandoned Cathedral of the Star to finally fight Ako. It's much more difficult than they thought, but they have a plan, and some extra help...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Based on this charadesign thread! https://twitter.com/Noctiilio/status/1253106116558557186  
> Oh and now that this is our first unobscured view of Ako, here's her design: https://i.imgur.com/ACIUIiI.png  
> Hey and also! The two last remaining roselia members joined! We've got full afterglow AND full roselia!

The sun was following the end of its course behind the mountains. The sky was getting darker, the full moon was reclaiming its place on top of the starlit stratosphere, as now two dragons were flying just above the thick layer of clouds. Hina, with Aya and the three village mercenaries on her back, was leading the way. It was painful, her leg didn't have the chance to fully heal. It reopened slowly, from time to time, forcing her to fly even slower than the night before.  
Sayo was following, carrying Tsugumi, Rinko and Tomoe. Not a single word was exchanged between the adventurers, the tension was overwhelming for everyone. Rinko was muttering old spells, trying to remember them in case stronger magic was required. Some sparks were sometimes escaping from her fingertips, proving her magic to still work, even after keeping herself out of battle for all these years.  
But other than that, everyone remained completely silent.  
Tsugumi was gently petting Sayo's shoulder. The lady of the winds was warm, in complete contrast with the cold from their high altitude.

"There", said Aya, breaking the ominous silence. Hina took a straight dive through the clouds, which Sayo followed by descending, with a slower and more careful approach.  
Everyone's throat went sore from the immense stress. They were there.

The forest was just as ominous as the first time, if not more. The wisps had disappeared. No goblins peeking. No eerie buzzing sounds from the woods, it looked even more dead than last time. It's as if all the spirits, and the forest itself, knew what was going to happen. Tsugumi, still feeling horribly weak from being the only common human, didn't quite notice that her eyes were tearing up on their own already.

The cathedral of the star. The two dragons scouted and circled the area to make a safe landing. The adventurers were all here, standing in front of their soon to be battlefield. Hopefully, this wouldn't become any of their friends' eternal resting place tonight. Rinko took a small step forward.  
-She already knows we're here...

Sayo took a sip from her potion, the twins shape shifted together to get through the small opening.  
Tomoe gave a nod to her village friends. Ran, Moca and Himari took off to a different direction, around the cathedral.  
-Hazawa-san. You should go with them.  
-But Sayo, I wanna stay with you!  
-You will be in danger.  
-S-Sayo! We both agreed that I would help you!  
Sayo smiled, giving her girlfriend a caress on the cheek.  
-You will help me greatly. I rely heavily on these humans' plan.  
-... You really mean it?  
-Dragons don't lie, Hazawa-san. Without these mercenaries, I most certainly would fail our quest. My success lies within your hands.  
The dragon gave a peck on the tavern girl's forehead. The human nodded with more confidence that she had ever shown, and runs to catch up with the three mercenaries.  
Sayo, whose wings were even bigger than Hina's, had to squeeze herself through the broken plank even more than her sister did. The rest of the fighters followed.  
All the adventurers were inside. There was no turning back.

Tsugumi managed to reach the other humans. Ran smiled gently at her old friend.  
-I never expected the day you would join us as a fellow mercenary, but here we are. Welcome aboard, Tsugu.  
-T-Thanks! I'll try my best to keep up! ... So, what's the plan?  
-We're climbing up the waaaall~~  
-W-What?! Just like that? Up the vines and broken stones?!  
-Yeah. We're setting up a trap on the higher terrace. But we can't get inside to use the stairs, so we have to wall climb.  
Tsugumi stared at the ridiculous ruined wall she would have to climb. It was no secret that unlike the three of her childhood friends, she wasn't trained to such an effort.  
-It's okay Tsuguuu~~ We'll tie a rope around your waist and help you~~  
After tying a handmade rope harness around the tavern girl and strapping the other end onto Ran's belt, The three thieves started wall climbing. Ran and Moca were impressively good at this. They knew exactly what to grab, where to put their hands, and didn't flinch once. Sometimes, they weren't even looking at what their hands were doing, and they were still going straight up. Himari had a slightly harder time going up, but she was still undoubtedly trained to such situations. She always knew her friends were strong, but she never actually saw them on the field up until now. How could Tsugu compare to either three of them in any way?!

They made it to the top. The rope was still loose. How long was this thing ?!  
-Ready, Tsugu?  
They were in line, ready to pull and bring their friend up. Even if multiple people were supporting her weight, she would still have to wall climb a bit. She was a little bit intimidated, but she had to do it. For her friends, and for Sayo, who chose to believe in her.  
-Y-Yeah! Let's do this!!  
Ran and Moca slowly started bringing their tavern buddy up. She had a very hard time figuring out where to go, but thankfully, Himari was guiding her.  
-Okay! See the stone slightly poking from the wall on your right?  
-... This tiny thing? Yeah.  
-Put your foot on that!  
-What?! But it's so tiny!! And so far away! I'm not gonna reach this!  
-Trust me you will!  
Tsugumi tried her best to reach the tiny, tiny stone Himari was pointing at. She slipped, and would have fallen, most likely breaking many bones, if she wasn't tied to her two friends up there. There she was, dangling in the air, squealing.  
-I-It's okay! We'll bring you up, just grab whatever you can and we'll do the rest!

They finally bring their friend to what appeared to be a large terrace on top of the roof. Maybe second or third floor, Tsugumi had no idea how high she climbed... Or rather tried to climb. She knew her three friends did the most part of the job, that's for sure.  
-I'm sorry I did such a poor job...  
-Hey, it's okay! I think you did amazing!  
Himari gave a pat on her old friend's shoulder. Ran took Tsugumi by the hand, taking her to the center of the moonlit terrace.  
-Maybe if we all come out of this victorious, we'll take you on missions with us.  
-Yaaaay Mercenary Tsuguuuuu~~  
Tsugumi blushed. Yeah, that'd be nice, it would help with her abysmal self esteem, that's for sure. Maybe she wouldn't feel so inferior to Sayo and everyone else anymore...  
-Now come here. I'll explain what we're going for. First off, Moca, stop playing around and pass the candles.  
-Where are they, though~~?  
-...In our bag, Moca. You've seen me put them in. Now please, hand them over.  
-Only if you say pleaaase~  
Ran sighed loudly and rolled her eyes, much to Moca's delight.  
-Please, Moca, the candles. It's vital.  
-Ahh, I like what I'm hearing, here you goooo~! See, you can be polite when you want toooo~~♥  
Moca tossed the candles one after the other. Ran caught all of them, without dropping or missing a single one.  
-Now. As I was saying...

Inside, the twin dragons, Aya, Rinko and Tomoe were searching the cathedral high and low for the gargoyle. But no signs of Ako.  
"Careful..." points out Aya. "Last time, she was hunting us all along, she ambushed us out of nowhere..."  
Rinko's spellbook was open. She had a tight grip on it, in case the clever beast were to take her weapon to disarm her.  
First floor. They searched the bedroom. Tomoe put her hand on the wall her name was written on. This was very hard to look at. The hunter felt awful for letting her sister go through such levels of suffering without knowing.  
-Hey... Aya-chan, the window wasn't open last time...  
Indeed, the stained glass window was wide open, curtains floating, dancing outside like two mangled ghosts. Claw marks on the edge of the stone balcony.  
-Maybe... the forest is this quiet because... she left...  
The adventurers hated to admit it, but it all made sense. If the reigning high rank demon had escaped, the forest's magic must have lowered significantly, and might even have been silenced completely.  
Aya walked out of the room.  
-I'll look for more clues outside, maybe there's a track we can follow.

As the adventurers were too focused finding evidence in the room, the fairy princess walked down the stairs...  
Suddenly, a pained, horrified scream.

Something fell with all its weight on Aya. She was pushed down the stairs, breaking her leg.  
The dragons, Rinko and Tomoe, ran outside the room. There she was: Ako Udagawa, shade of her former self, preparing herself to pounce over her new prey again.  
-Y... You don't think she intentionally set a trap for us, do you?  
-I think that's exactly what this open window was. Now, everyone, get your weapons ready. Hina, take Aya on your back.  
Hina transformed, and swiftly removed Aya from Ako' s deadly range. The creature hissed.  
Tomoe's war cry echoed with Ako's bone chilling howl. They were staring each other down, both playing the same intimidation display tactic. Sisters remained sisters after all, even in corruption.  


The gargoyle charged. The battle had begun.

Tomoe rolled away. Ako bounced off the wall, and attacked again. Tomoe was good at dodging hits, but the reduced space wasn't doing her any favor. Ako, on the other hand, was able to climb up walls and ceiling. An awfully unbalanced way to start a fight.  
Sayo transformed, taking Rinko on her back. She quickly grabbed the hunter in her talons, bringing everyone in the prayer room.  
-Hah... Great thinking, Sayo. This is a much better place for a showdown.  
Ako pounced from wall to wall, following her opponents.

-Okay Rinko. We'll do what we all agreed on. Sayo and I will do most of the fighting. Hina and Aya, to the first floor, out of battle. You're the healers. Rinko will support and cover us with magic.  
-Remember, Udagawa-san, Shirokane-san, we're only exhausting her power, we're not damaging her.  
-U-Understood! Good luck!  
Hina flew to the first floor immediately, to keep her injured girlfriend safe. Tomoe climbed on Sayo's back, the demon charging at them once more. With a flick of her tail, Sayo was able to keep Ako at a safe range. But she was too quick. There was no way they could keep her at a safe distance through the entire fight.  
Tomoe shot an arrow from her bow, directly where Ako was going to bounce, carefully avoiding her. She was halted, unable to use the wall for a split second. This small break was more than long enough for her older sister's team to fight back.  
With the hunter strapped to her back, Sayo took off, flying above the prayer room, breathing her signature green fire to prevent the monster from escaping too soon.

Ako sensed the walls closing in. Her survival instinct was too strong. In a moment of devilish cleverness, she bit into her own arm. Horrified, Tomoe had to watch her own sister tearing into her own arm with her sharp teeth with unspeakable violence.  
A black, unholy ooze was dripping from the wound. She dug her other hand into her demon blood, and splattered a large stain directly ahead of her, proceeding to rapidly paint an ominous sigil with it.  
Rinko, horrified, begged the dragon and her rider to go to safety.  
-C-CAREFUL!! She's casting something!!  
Sayo bounced back, wings open, to shelter her human rider from anything the young Udagawa was doing.

From the black stain, a swarm of innumerable devil bats escaped, attacking everyone within the prayer room.  
They were surprisingly tough, and due to their small size, impossible to hit. Tomoe's greatsword almost never reached her target. The more Sayo would fry with her fire breath, the more would come back from the stain. Ako resumed her attack, now that her foes were distracted by the lesser demons. She bounced back to Sayo and Tomoe, it was much harder to repel her. The dragon took a few scratches from the gargoyle's sharp claws.  
-Sayo! Are you okay?!  
Sayo roared, her voice resonating through the cathedral, shaking the room. The bats and their summoner flinched a bit. These were only minor injuries, she could still fight. The hunter figured it out: as long as it's not a bite, it won't turn out as bad as Hina's wound. The swarm attacked once more, like an united cloud, sharing the same mind.  
Rinko pulled her sleeves, flipping the pages of her spellbook.  
"A-Ako-chan, if you're playing the summoner's card, I won't disappoint!", she frowned.

A bright, blue light came from the floor under her feet, as she casted an ancient elven spell, her voice reverberating through the prayer room.  
Two flashes followed, accompanied with the sound of thunder. Two glowing figured flew from seemingly nowhere, Immediately reducing the bats to dust with the help of powerful white magic.  
The two summoned beings were two women: dressed in white, glowing drapes decorated with delicate blue roses, and an elegant, intricate azure halo over their heads. They both had four large white wings each. One of them had long silver hair and a large staff, the other had wavy brown hair, and a glowing sword made of light itself. Sayo couldn't believe what she was seeing.

Yukina and Lisa, holy archangels of the highest order, joined the fight.

Lisa stretched nonchalantly, like someone who just got out of bed after sleeping very soundly.  
-Ah, Rinko! It's been a while since last time, it's good to see you again~! How have you been?  
The mage, a little embarrassed, blushed.  
-I-I've been doing alright, t-thank you, Lisa...  
Yukina tapped slightly on her sword-wielding ally, her golden eyes locked onto the gargoyle's own red, soulless ones. The creature hissed, and crawled backwards, deeply intimidated by the new threat.  
-Lisa. Keep yourself together. We've been summoned to battle.  
-Aw, that's fair, I just wished we had a little more time together, you know? ... Hey, Yukina, isn't that Ako-chan? ... Aw, poor thing, she has definitely seen better days.  
-I believe so. Now, let's do what we've been brought here for, at once.  
-Alright, alright, you don't need to make it sound like a chore, though...

Ako's bats were only a small amount left. She sent them all after the two angels, who turned them into ashes by the blink of an eye. Out of blind rage, Ako charged Yukina. The angel didn't flinch, and sent her flying even before any contact could be made.  
The gargoyle's blind rage was growing. She kept attacking the archangels, completely forgetting the dragon, the mage and the hunter she was previously fighting. Her attempts were scattered, and none of her attacks could even reach her targets. She was getting exhausted quickly. Just a little more like this, and they would be able to lure her into Afterglow's trap...

...But Ako's strong instincts for survival and dominance wouldn't let her enemies get the best of her so quickly. Another disgustingly violent bite into her arm, she wrote a different symbol on the floor.  
Yukina gestured everyone to stay back.  
-She's tougher than she looks. Careful.  
Poof! Fog, everywhere. So thick no one could see a thing, except maybe the vague light from the two angels, glowing like two otherworldly lanterns into the mist. It was impossible to figure out distance, however, or to know where everyone was standing compared each other. They were completely isolated.  
They started calling for each other, trying to group up. Lisa tried to take off and see from above, but her wings felt heavy and sore, she couldn't flap, not even once. The archangel warned the adventurers.  
-She weakened my magic, be very careful!  
Screams followed. Ako was leaping, scratching, gliding. The fighters couldn't see the threat until it was too late. She scratched the two angels, here and there, weakening them significantly. Rinko screamed in extreme pain. Something happened. The adventurers ran around, trying to find her, to no avail. People kept being attacked. Rinko did not respond to the rest of the fighters calling for her anymore.

The fog only lasted a few minutes. After it got dispelled, they found Rinko, bleeding from her neck. The party ran to her. She was still alive, and most likely only collapsed, but she had a large bite mark on her neck. If left untreated, this could become very serious.  
Yukina swiftly rushed the downed mage to Hina and Aya, in the first floor room.  
-You're the healer, right?  
-Y-Yes...!! And you are...?  
-...You look like you're injured yourself, though.  
-I-I'm okay! It's nothing but a broken leg, I can still perform healing!  
-... If you say so. I'll leave you in charge of Rinko.  
Before Aya could say anything in response, the archangel immediately flew back to the battle. Still weakened, and not as fast and shiny as she was in the beginning, but she wasn't giving up. 

-Lisa, what happened?  
-Be careful, this will give her new abilities.  
Ako's mouth had red stains all around it. Rinko's blood. She began squirming and howling in pain. Things were happening to her. Her body began twisting in inhuman ways. Her horns grew longer, her fangs and claws sharper, and her wings much larger. Smoke was now constantly escaping from her mouth, and from the searing tips of her mangled wings. The demon cackled, delighted from the taste of newfound mage powers.  
A fireball immediately shot from her hand, directed at Tomoe. The hunter dodged, but it was way too close for comfort.  
-There's no way we can exhaust her! She keeps getting stronger! We have to close the trap on her as she is!  
With her now larger wings, she was able to fly instead of simply gliding off the walls of the cathedral. This was definitely a new threat. Getting the real Ako back was getting less and less realistic with every minute. If they kept fighting, if they kept letting her powers grow, it would be out of question for good very soon.  
-Everyone, to the third floor! 

The party ran up the stairs, making sure Ako was focused on them. She was very much here, shooting fire balls and other elemental spells at her fleeing prey, not aware of what was waiting for her at the end of this chase.  
-She's taking the bait! Keep going, and make sure she's not stopping by the first floor!  
The angels, flying closer to Ako than everyone else, were casting a little bit of magic, zapping her slightly. She was boiling with unspeakable anger. Good, she would keep following them out of blind rage. They couldn't risk her outsmarting them again, taking any shortcuts and ruining the plan.  
Lisa turned back to Tomoe.  
-You guys... Know what you're doing, right?  
-Yeah! We've got a bunch of mercenaries up there with a monster trap.

They managed to keep Ako's attention on them until the last step of the stairs. They were all waiting on the edge of the terrace.  
Ako hissed, a devilish smile on her terrifying face. They were done for now, they had nowhere to run. She won.  
Suddenly, the floor lit up. A pentagram of extremely powerful magic, a circle of blue fire around it. The demon screamed. She tried to fly to the roof for safety, but the moonlight struck her to the ground.  
Afterglow was on the rooftop, they looked at their former neighbor, horrified by what she had become. Ran shouted at Tomoe, down there, on the terrace:  
-Tomoe! Where's Rinko?! We can't finish the spell without her!!  
And then it hit her. They wouldn't be able to properly finish the spell without their severely injured mage. Doing it themselves would be extremely dangerous, but it was now, or never.

-Mitake-san, I will do it.  
Sayo had turned back into her humanoid form. Tomoe grabbed her by the shoulder, shaking her violently.  
-Are you crazy?! This could kill you if done incorrectly!  
From the rooftop, Tsugumi froze.  
-We won't have a second chance, Udagawa-san. I made a promise to you, no matter what it costs me.  
-...Then I'll do it with you, dragon princess.  
They nodded at each other, and walked to the upper branch of the pentagram's star, where Rinko would have standed. Ran throws a spellbook to Sayo, who quickly catches it and begins to read the runes.  
-Hey, you two, don't mess this up. I want you guys alive tomorrow morning.  
The two older sisters raised their hands towards the gargoyle, struck down in the middle of the pentagram. Ako hissed, unable to move.

They started the timeless incantation. Tomoe had a hard time reading. Sayo, however, was used to ancient runes. After the three first time of Sayo doing it mostly on her own, Tomoe started chanting with her, now memorizing the pronunciation. She would stutter here and there, but she was doing alright for the most part.  
Tsugumi leaned towards Ran for comfort. Moca and Himari did the same. Sayo, Tomoe and Ako's lives were all on the line, depending on how well they would succeed. They all hated to admit it, but they had low hopes for this ritual.  
The pentagram was pulsating. Ako began squealing, squirming. Her demonic features were getting smaller. The two casters grew confident, and kept chanting together. This was... working?  
The two archangels were floating above the circle. They weren't allowed to participate if their summoner wasn't casting, but they were a reassuring, comforting presence for Tomoe and Sayo, at least. All seemed to be doing okay until now.

Ako's eyes were showing pupils again. She was coming back... Tomoe, tearing up a bit, kept chanting, but the emotion was so strong, she stuttered a little.  
Her body started to twist in unholy ways quickly after that. The two archangels closed in.  
-N---nN--Nee-chan... it h-hurts...  
-AKO!  
-Udagawa-San! Focus!!!  
A wild, untamed spark surged from the center of the pentagram. Ako's mouth was foaming. The drool quickly turned into blood. She was suffocating. Things weren't looking so good anymore.  
-S--S RRRNNNNRRGRGRRR.... Sss-Sstop...It...It b-burns....  
Tomoe tried to keep chanting. At this point, she couldn't help but think this was turning for the worst. She had a hard time continuing. Ako's pain grew, her state worsened.  
The young gargoyle fell to the ground. Shaking in atrocious pain. Her screams weren't demonic anymore. They were human. Tomoe's beloved little sister was dying.  
The hunter couldn't take it anymore. She gave up her spot on the pentagram, ran to her sister, stopping the spell in its course.  
-Udagawa-san! Don't-

A flash of light. An explosion without sound. The cathedral was quiet, even the wind wasn't howling anymore.  
A horrible, horrible mistake was made.  
When the light vanished, Sayo, Tomoe and Ako weren't moving anymore.


End file.
